No Way Back
by GiggiEba
Summary: Thrust into a new world, Enderbrina must deal with new enemies in a weakened state. Though she can never really die permanently, these new threats still want her dead. But what happens when she meets someone so similar but so different? Rated M for safety. Cover art by me! (Story 2/3)
1. Chapter 1

***A/N: Okay, so, I decided to write a Slenderman fanfiction. I don't know if adding a Minecraft OC counts to make it a crossover, but I'm posting this in the Slenderman section because I personally don't think it should; I am not adding much** **Minecraft stuff to this. If you didn't notice, take a look at Slenderman, and compare his name to the enderman (of Minecraft). Super similar, right? Well, anyway...***

* * *

Pain. Searing, burning, melting pain. My eyes flew open, and I saw rain pouring down from the sky. I quickly got up and ran to the cover of trees, which I had seen the branches of as I had awoken. The rain couldn't penetrate the thick canopy of leaves above me, and a sigh of relief left me as my metallic skin slowly stopped smoking and evened itself out, making me hungry from the natural healing my body went through. I looked out from the trees I was hiding under, and saw a city. It didn't look like Brine City, but I hoped it was at least a welcoming city. Cautious, I checked my abilities. I couldn't feel any presences in the bustling city, so that was quickly one ability already gone. As I went through all of them, I found I could still use telekinesis, I could still grow my wings and tail, and my second form still worked. I could fly, but only for about ninety seconds before I dropped to the ground, my flight ability seemingly needing to "recharge" after the ninety seconds. Finally, I could still use materialization and my innate teleportation, and decided on an apple and a diamond for something to eat. The two items looked quite different, and I realized I was no longer at home.

 _Just great,_ I thought, biting down on the diamond. _I'm stranded in a strange place, near a strange city, so I have absolutely no idea where the fuck I am. At least materialization doesn't take energy to use. Darkness might not even be here._

 _I am, Enderbrina._

 _Darkness! Oh, thank goodness and evilness, you're here! I was beginning to worry I would have nobody to talk to while I try to survive this new place… without most of my abilities._

I heard Darkness chuckle in our shared thought space. _Yes, well, you see, I live in all worlds, Three Worlds or no. I help different beings, but to you I am most inclined to help above all._

 _Thank you… can you do me a favor?_

 _Anything._

 _Seek out a safe place in the city for me to stay, somewhere sheltered, and where I will either be accepted or will be alone with only you?_

 _Of course._

I sighed, and climbed up a tree, waiting for Darkness to return to me. My thoughts drifted as Darkness searched, hours passing. It was night before it returned, and the rain had stopped. A whisper in my ear told me it had returned, and dropped down from the tree; Darkness formed a humanoid in front of me.

 _Well?_

 _A place you'll be accepted, although, not well sheltered, I explained a little bit to the two staying there, and they told me they would enjoy having you as their guest. Shall I transport you there?_

 _Yes, please._

Darkness consumed me, and I felt movement, then I was standing on solid ground. I was in a dark alley. I saw a homeless couple, and they smiled, waving shyly at me.

"Hello," I managed to say in the human language.

"Hello, Jill. We understand you're not quite from here, are you?"

"N-no, I'm not…"

"Your friend told us you're weak, but supernatural. We could use some help… anything helps, really."

"I'm sure I can do something to earn my stay with you," I said, sidling closer to the fire they had going. "Just say the word."

"Could you find us some food, or cash for food?"

I nodded, "In the morning. I woke to rain and had to hide under the trees before it could melt me."

A chuckle from the man startled me.

"The rain is cold, but it doesn't melt you."

"Yes, it does," I said firmly. "Watch."

I materialized some water and held it with telekinesis, and brought it closer to my skin, wincing at the burning pain as the water hit my skin and it began to hiss in protest, the water effectively putting a dent in my metallic skin. I cursed as I dematerialized the water, and showed my forearm to the couple. They watched in amazement as the small hole in my arm closed up, and I sighed as I huddled closer to the fire, needing the warmth. I suddenly remembered my materialization, and felt stupid for not remembering it when they asked me about food. I had them hold out their hands, flat, palms up. Before they could ask why, I showed them my materialization once again and explained, and instantly they did what I told them to. I materialized a full meal for each of them before doing so for myself, and we ate the hot meals with relish, even though we knew we would be able to have what we wanted at any time.

"Wow, Jill, you're a blessing in disguise." I supposed I was, and nodded, agreeing with them. "Your eyes… they glow. That's pretty cool."

"My brother made me this way. He's a wonderful older brother, or he was, until I was somehow put here."

"Who's your brother?"

"I don't think you'd believe me."

"With everything that's happened, I'll believe anything."

"His name is Herobrine."

"Weird name… I heard some kids talking about him on their way by this alley last night. They said he was haunting their computer, along with an enderwoman with eyes like him."

I was surprised, I had been hunting humans with my brother just before I had blacked out and woken up here.

"Oh, no…"

"What's wrong?"

"I… was that enderwoman… now I'm here…"

"You're from a video game?"

"Trust me, I don't know how or why, but I ended up here somehow."

I felt Darkness form a humanoid shape next to me, looking at me with worry. I sighed, realizing my predicament in full. I was merely from a video game? So all that… my entire life had been a game? No, I wouldn't accept it. It was my life, my own precious life, and I began to wonder, was my immortality still… working?

"Jill, calm down," Darkness spoke to me soothingly, in the enderman language. "You will be fine, you have me."

I nodded, and turned back to the couple, straightening up and sitting upright. "I don't believe you told me your names."

"Oh, sorry. I'm Garry, and this is Jane."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I said, smiling.

"Everything about you is quite… exotic. Even your teeth are lavender colored."

"Well, I can't help that. I know about your needs, do you need any water?"

"Yes, actually, please."

I materialized two bottles, one in each of my hands, my slender fingers wrapped tightly around the bottles so I wouldn't drop them and have them break open. I saw something long and strange-looking in the corner of the small alleyway they had made into a sort of home, and pointed at it after handing them the bottles of water.

"What is that thing," I asked.

"It's an umbrella. Never seen one before?"

"Where I used to live, it didn't rain."

"Oh, that explains it. Well, it's supposed to cover you from rain, but we only use it when we go out for food. We have a nice tarp we set up on poles over there, since it's usually rainy during this season."

"Oh, good…"

I materialized three proper beds, and flopped down into the basic sheets. I heard Jane squeal, likely in delight, as she took the one next to me, in the middle. She smiled, and Garry came over, sitting on the last one, and they thanked me profusely.

"You've already made our lives so much better, Jill. Rest, it's almost morning."

"Um… I… don't require sleep."

"Why is that?"

I looked to the humanoid form of Darkness, and it nodded, solemn. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. I huddled my knees close to myself, suddenly feeling very insecure. I finally answered.

"I don't require sleep, because I'm immortal…"

"O-oh my god… Jill… why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Because I feared you would run. I feared you would leave me alone, and I can't be alone forever. Either that, or you would praise me without knowing just who or what I am."

"Well, we won't. We just have an immortal friend, right?"

I smiled. "Yeah. So… you two, go to sleep… I'll watch through the rest of the night."

"Thanks, Jill. Goodnight."

"Good night."

I watched the entrance of the alley, just watching it as the night hours slowly ticked away, Darkness comforting me as best it could. Suddenly, a shadow was in the entrance, and I pretended to be asleep, instantly going limp but keeping my posture. It passed, but another shadow turned into the alley, and I made the glow of my eyes dim to nothing. I saw a glint of metal, it was a knife! A small laugh escaped the man, and I materialized my weapons onto myself. Slowly, I fell forward onto the mattress in my "sleep," startling the intruder but not stopping them. When they got close enough, I leapt at them, seeing the knife come up to cut me but instead, I grabbed their wrist and flipped them, sending them back-first onto the ground, and sat on their chest, straddling their arms so that their arms were rendered useless.

"What the… how the FUCK did you overpower me that easily?"

"You'd never believe me."

"Jill? What's going on?"

"This guy just tried to kill you two, I think, Jane."

I looked back down at the man I was holding to the ground. He wore a white hoodie that matched his incredibly pale skin, his eyes were a striking, icy blue, matching his jeans. His hair was blacker than the night sky, and his jeans, which were behind me, were old and worn, the knees lighter than the surrounding dark denim.

"So, asshole, got anything to say?"

"I got a name, ya know."

"I don't care."

"It's Jeff the Killer, and you better watch that pretty mouth of yours."

"Says the one who's pinned."

"I wouldn't have been pinned if my victim wasn't so rude!"

"Victim… so you're killing homeless people just for the fun of it?"

"Damn right! Now get off me!"

"Jane, Garry… don't watch."

"Jill, what are you doing?"

"You'll be fine, I promise."

 _This is a risky move, Enderbrina. I will help immediately if you cannot control him._

 _Thank you._

I stood up, keeping Jeff the Killer pinned with telekinesis. He was watching me, struggling against his invisible bindings. Once standing, I kicked him in the stomach, standing over him, and let my eyes glow again. Darkness, sensing I wanted to intimidate the inhuman man, formed itself into a copied shape of me, and crouched low on the other side of him.

"Let's get something straight, Jeff," I whispered in almost a growling tone, "I'm more powerful than you. You cannot defeat me, and you likely never will. So stay out of my sight."

"And I, Darkness, will be watching you. Perhaps I was your friend before, but Enderbrina here is going to protect these two. I will do everything in my power to help her do that," Darkness finished for me, also in a whisper.

"Got it," we asked in unison.

"S-sure… I won't hurt them at all! Now lemme go! I'm burning moonlight!"

I released the telekinetic bindings, and he scrambled to his feet and ran.

"Okay, you can look now. He's gone."

"You saved us! Thank you so much!"

"It wasn't a problem, Jane, I am simply doing what must be done. Protecting you, the only people who will accept me in this city. If… if you don't mind, I'm going to go and protect other people from that guy before he can get to too many houses."

"Of course, go. Darkness will likely help us if he comes back."

 _I will._

"It says it will. Well, I'm off."

I gathered my strength and jumped up to the rooftops, landing solidly on the top, and searched for Jeff, scanning the immediate area. He was running when I spotted him, glancing over his shoulder every so often. I took off after him, Darkness silencing my footsteps as I ran and jumped over the rooftops. He never once noticed me until he stopped at a house, looking around, scanning the vicinity, then suddenly had the idea to look up. He spotted my white glowing eyes from the rooftop I was standing on, and I gave him a slap to the back of the head with telekinesis. He got the idea and kept running, off into a dark forest of pine trees, the same one with the thick canopy of leaves. I sighed, and turned to go back to Jane and Garry, when I saw the white hoodie dart out from the trees again. I growled and rooted him in the spot, mid-run, and dematerialized all my weapons, dropping down from the rooftops. There was a police station nearby, and I went in, scaring the cops.

"Who the hell are you!?"

"You don't need to know. All you need to know if that I've caught Jeff the Killer. I can lead you to him now, if you'd like."

They were speechless, and I walked out, waiting for them to follow me. The door opened and slammed shut, and a high-ranking officer was there. He had a gun pointed at me and another in his holster, and I waved him to follow me. I knew he kept his gun trained on me until we rounded the corner. Jeff stared at the man I had follow me, and the cop looked at me, incredulous.

"How did you know he was here?"

"He's frozen to the spot. Can't move a muscle."

I instantly constricted the rest of Jeff's body with telekinesis, and the handcuffs came out. Once Jeff was cuffed, I followed them back to make sure Jeff would be kept contained. He only tried escaping once, when I let go of him, but I tripped him and he smacked his face into the ground.

"I don't think he'll give you any more trouble," I said, picking Jeff up by the hood of his hoodie, effectively choking him. "If he does, call out help."

"Help? Wouldn't that be as if I was in danger?"

I arched an eyebrow, and the cop seemed to get it, dragging the killer along by the hood as I had suggested. I walked off down the street, making sure the cop saw as Darkness consumed me and transported me back to Jane and Garry. They were both alive and well when I got back, and I asked them if they were hungry, materializing myself a glass of mercury and sipping it.

"What happened? You were gone all night…"

"Jeff's in jail, or an asylum."

"Wow… that was fast. How did you do it?"

"Telekinesis and not telling the cops my name. Darkness helped me out, too."

"Incredible. You're like a superhero."

"I _am_ supernatural… for you, anyway. It's not unusual for supernatural beings to exist where I'm from."

They agreed quietly, and I repeated my question about them being hungry. They said yes and requested what they would like, and I simply meditated after materializing what they wanted, keeping the fire going. I didn't dare try to use any materials from my home, in case it would corrupt the natural way of this world.

"Jill? What are you doing?"

"Meditating, hoping to raise my power. It's an immortal thing. I also don't eat very often, a perk of being immortal; I can go many days without food, and still be strong."

I felt power slowly trickling into me, but I knew it wouldn't keep up with my patience. I waited a few more seconds, and stood, going over to my soft bed. I closed my eyes, thinking of home, my mind soon drifting to the forest I had seen.

"Hey, Jill, is there anything else you can do?"

"Like what?"

"Like, your other supernatural powers."

"Abilities? Um… yes. I don't mind sharing with you."

I went over my other, currently available abilities, even showing them my wings and tail, and Jane got close enough to touch the leathery membrane, to which I jumped, my wings folding in surprise. Slowly, I opened my wings again and Jane's hand reached out again. It was strange to feel her hand against my leathery wing skin, and Garry asked before he did, to which I nodded, hesitant. Eventually, I folded my wings to my back, letting my tail hand down to the ground.

"Wow, your tail is pretty long. Almost five feet long, it looks like."

"Well… it is a meter and a half long. I think it'll grow a little more, but I'll just have to wait and see."

We settled down for the night, I took watch again. Nothing disturbed the city, Darkness doing the rounds this night, watching for people preying on innocents. The night wore on, and I began to feel sleepy.

 _Darkness… I'm tired._

 _Then sleep. I am well aware of you three's surroundings._

I laid down, getting under the sheets of the bed, and held the blanket close to me. I drifted into sleep without dreams, but there was a feeling as I slept. I was afraid, but of what, I didn't know. Darkness scared the thing away, and I woke in the morning to Garry shaking my shoulder. I sat up quickly, and growled at him.

"Sorry, sorry! But you have to see this!"

He handed me a newspaper, but my eyes were still blurry with sleep so I rubbed my eyes gently and took a better look at what he was pointing to. I saw myself in a picture from a video of a street camera. I was just beginning to become shrouded by Darkness, but I was clearly visible. I stared at the picture; I was purely surprised.

"You're all over the internet too, from what I've heard. They're calling you the Night Hunter. Here, read the article!"

I took the newspaper from Garry, he left to go sit with Jane near the entrance of the alley, but I made myself hidden from prying eyes.

* * *

 **New Real Hero: Night Hunter**

On the night of July 10, a stranger walked into the police station on Crossroads Avenue. "It seemed and spoke like a she," officer Davis said. "She brought me out into the streets, but I kept my gun ready in case she tried something. Eventually, we turned a corner and seeming frozen mid-step was Jeff the Killer." Officer Davis cuffed the serial killer, and he was put on trial before a strange entity, much unlike Night Hunter, took him away. It seems our sleepy little city has become the center of attention for supernatural beings, yet nothing major has happened quite yet.

* * *

The newspaper went on to say more about me, theories and such, until I heard a loud gasp from the end of the alley. I looked up to see the same policeman, who I assumed was officer Davis, staring directly at me.

"You…"

I froze, unsure of what to do. He began walking toward me, a friendly smile on his face. I got ready to teleport, but he stopped before he got too close.

"I'm not here to hurt you, Night Hunter. Please, come with me."

"No… come back once dark has fallen," I replied, my speech becoming more proper. "I do not wish to be bothered during daylight hours."

He nodded, respecting my wishes, and walked away. I shivered, and materialized a glass filled with mercury. I drank it down quickly, and took a deep, steadying breath. I kept reading the newspaper, waiting for nightfall. So I was the Night Hunter, that would be my name for now, until they were ready to know. It was dark as Jane and Garry laid down, and I folded up the newspaper as I waited for officer Davis to return. After about five minutes, during which I was brushing my hair, he arrived.

"Hello, Night Hunter. I'm back, as you said for me to do."

"It is good to see you again."

 _Darkness, can you take care of Jane and Garry, while protecting me, too?_

 _Of course. I am glad your telepathy works with me._

 _Unfortunately, only with you._

We walked into the police station, and I waited near the door. I saw someone who seemed of great importance come out to greet me. Carefully, I looked them up and down, they were lean and young for a human, and I greeted them quietly.

"Hello, Night Hunter, it seems you've graced this town with your presence."

"So far, yes, I have. However, let's keep this simple, shall we?"

"Of course. We just would like to ask a few questions. Where are you from, originally?"

I laughed, then realized I was being recorded. I noticed a camera recording me. Ignoring the fact, I answered, "You won't believe me, but I am from Minecraft. Yes, the game, although less than a week ago, I saw it as real life."

Silence engulfed the room. I waited, shifting my weight to either foot as I waited.

"What else, besides your incredible speed, do you possess for powers?"

I chuckled. "How naive… they are called abilities. Are you familiar with the term telekinesis?"

"Moving things with your mind."

"Correct. I possess that ability. For example, take that mug," I said, gesturing to the mug on the counter. "I can pick it up, bring it to myself, place it in my hand, then return it to the shelf, all without lifting a finger." I let my arm fall back by my side, and showed them. "It is a basic ability, even for me."

"Alright… do you have anything else to say?"

"In fact… I do. For all those who think they can get away with crimes like killing and robbery, I am coming for you, and my friend, Darkness, is as well. So watch your step."

Darkness slowly consumed me, and brought me outside, to the edge of the city. I waited until morning to jump up to the top of a tall house, next to a skyscraper, and jumped up to the top of the skyscraper. The city was bustling, but people below began to take notice that something was wrong as I watched them from the top of the building. A crowd began to gather below me, and I simply watched as the city began to grow silent. Everyone was waiting, watching, and I slowly walked towards the outer edge of the city, the skyscraper had one street next to it, which led out of the city. I stood on the corner next to one of the corners that was closest to exiting the city, and faced that way: out of the city. I began running, right from where I was standing, and took a leap at the very edge of the building, collective gasps at my actions reached my ears. I plummeted to the ground, still falling in an arc, and landed, forced into a low-to-the-ground crouch, making a small crater in the ground. I looked at the crowd that had gathered, and I waited, stepping out of the crater, and fixing it. People began rushing over, and I introduced myself as the Night Hunter. I found there were a few Minecraft fanatics that said they had seen me before, and were ecstatic that I was real.

"Herobrine is, too," I would tell them.

I was accepted by the people of the city, and eventually walked the streets like I owned them. Gangs avoided causing trouble, yet came to me in times of need. Everyone began to take notice of the homeless people and helped those who could be helped. All in all, my arrival in this new city I now called home was a good thing. I helped anybody I could, but my heart always belonged to Jane and Garry, who both got a job, and they even got a house and were able to afford having a child, but never did. I would visit them nearly every day, and at night when the city was asleep, I would patrol the streets, Darkness alerting me to any trouble. I soon revealed my true name, before the name Night Hunter could stick, and everyone liked my real name.

"Another good day, Darkness… you make us a great team."

You are the one getting all the credit.

"Please, don't be jealous, I try to tell them, but it seems they just don't get it."

"Oh. Apologies…"

Darkness' humanoid form disappeared and I sighed, staring up at the stars. Tonight's patrol had ended, but Darkness and I, ever cautious, had decided that it would patrol the streets as dawn came around. Once dawn arrived, I would continue without Darkness. A young girl who was lost came up to me, fearless, and asked me to help her find her parents. Agreeing, I let her hold on to my dragon tail as we walked, her parents soon spotting me and asking if I had seen the little girl. She jumped out from behind me, and her parents thanked me.

"No need to thank me, really. I do it for the sake of safety and happiness."

"You must have dinner with us tonight, then!"

"No, thank you. I may be a hero of this city, but I must always be vigilant."

I heard a gunshot behind me and caught the bullet going straight for my head. I looked for the gunman, and bounded off after him after a quick goodbye to the little girl and her parents. I rounded the corner to see the gunman was gone, and growled, Darkness ready to protect me as the sun was setting and the alley was in shadows. I heard something whistling through the air behind me and caught it between my index and middle finger, turning it over in my hand, seeing a throwing knife. Many more throwing knives were sent at me from the dark beyond me, and I caught each of them, keeping them for myself, but the attacker seemed to have a nearly endless supply. Finally, I had about thirty throwing knives stashed away in my dematerialized storage. The attacker approached me, and I got to see them for a few moments.

It was Jeff the Killer again, accompanied by what seemed to be a short… elf? He was dressed in green like an elf, but his eyes were completely black except for his irises, they were a burning red. His eyes leaked thick blood, and the two of them were smiling, though the elf was behind Jeff. I felt a pinch in my neck and began to feel drowsy. I fell asleep from the drug put in me through my neck, and dreamt.

I was in pain. It was raining again. I was falling, however, and kept falling, the ground not getting any closer. Something about the dream made no sense, why was I eternally falling, and how was the ground not coming up to meet me and splatter me? The rain pelted me from all sides, becoming like a bubble of water surrounding me. I woke up, gasping, as I was being shaken, but by whoever, they were gone. I was next to the forest I had woken up to, and Darkness told me this forest was dangerous. I took a deep breath and walked in, Darkness not abandoning me. As soon as I was within the trees, I got the sensation that I was being watched. I kept walking, soon finding I was lost. A ringing began in my head; my ears were ringing. It got louder and louder, static soon filling my vision and the intense ringing giving me a headache.

 _Darkness, are you doing that!?_

 _No, I'm not. I do no know what is._

I saw light ahead, and made a beeline for the light. I found myself in a large, circular clearing. The static stopped, and my ears no longer rang. Soft whispers of wind came through the trees, the grass covering the ground was a lush green, and it was incredibly warm. I found my hoodie suddenly way too much, and took it off, holding it, looking around the circular clearing. There was nothing special about it except for one thing: a large, tall oak tree stood in the center, and its leaves were still all green. Nothing strange, it was still summer, but it was the end of summer, where the days began to get shorter and the leaves on trees began to change color.

 _Darkness, do you know what's wrong, here, or is it just me?_

 _No, I see what is wrong here as well._

"It seems you've found my forest," I heard a voice say from all around me. "I was beginning to think you were not a worthy adversary, but you've proven yourself, Enderbrina, the Night Hunter." The voice was deep, so I knew it was a man, and it flowed like silk from wherever the source was. "I am hoping you'll find meeting me is something… extraordinarily unique for you."

"I'd like you to meet my sword with your face," I growled.

"How quick to fight, such impatience."

"Show yourself! I'm not afraid of you!"

"I can see you are not. Very well… let's see how afraid of me you really aren't."

The forest quieted. I strained my ears, my senses on high alert. The feeling of being watched intensified, then disappeared altogether. I heard the soft swooshing of grass beneath feet, and a hand rested on my shoulder. I saw it was pure white, bony, and had slender fingers _just like me._ I turned around, seeing just the torso of a man. Sharply dressed in a fitted tuxedo, he wore a red tie, and black dress slacks, with black dress shoes. I looked up, seeing a pale, white head, without a face, staring back down at me. His mouth was open, revealing sharp rows of teeth and a long, slithery tongue. He was much taller than a normal enderman, and as slim as one, which was surprising. He was about a meter taller than myself, and my face must have been that of shock, as a dark chuckle emanated from the being as his mouth sealed itself shut.

"Hello. I am Slenderman."


	2. Chapter 2

***A/N: Hey, second chapter! I know, it hasn't long since I published the first chapter but my college wifi hates Steam so I figured I'd just post this chapter now. If you're** **confused about why I posted this story, just read chapter 1's author's note (A/N), and know that im absolutely obsessed with the MC enderman. Okay, anyway... chapter 2! Read away!***

* * *

I stared up at the faceless thing, frozen with shock and fear. I was weak here, why shouldn't I be afraid? I didn't know what this thing was capable of. Something told me I was in danger, and Darkness wasn't going to help me. I took a step back. So he called himself Slenderman? I could deal with that, my name was not ordinary either.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Night Hunter. Or do you prefer Enderbrina," he said, extending his hand. I was silent, unmoving. "Hmm… I would say you _are_ afraid of me, but you already said that is not true."

"N-no… I am."

The white blob of a head changed, I realized he was likely smiling. I wanted to leave, escape, get away from Slenderman. I wondered why he wasn't trying to kill me yet.

"Well, then perhaps you should run. I'm rather hungry and you look absolutely _delicious_."

So I ran. At some point, he appeared directly in front of me, ready to tear me to pieces. Black slithery things were behind him, his mouth was ripped open once more, he was taller somehow, now reaching almost four meters in height, and his bony hands had turned into sharp claws. I managed to slow my run and turn, running the other way. I remembered my wings and tail, they could get me out of this place! Scrambling up a tree, I went to the highest branch that could hold me, and held onto the trunk, breathing heavily from the fear that had strained my body. I was still afraid, and so I took flight, flying high above the trees. Just as my flight ability could not hold me up anymore, I grew my wings and tail and angled myself, flying toward the city. I heard ringing in my ears again and static filled my vision, but I knew the way by heart. I landed, almost crashing, on top of my favored skyscraper where I could overlook the city for trouble, and sat down, sighing in relief. I managed to calm my racing heart, but it wouldn't be calm for long.

"Impressive."

I jumped at the voice, it was him again, but as I looked up, he seemed to give off a less hostile air. His posture was relaxed, he was at the height he had been at when we had met, and his mouth, his horrible mouth was sealed shut. He chuckled at my reaction, but I waited, on edge, in case he decided to attack me here. I would have to stand and fight here, or he might never stop chasing me. My hand instinctively went to my dagger, waiting to pull it out.

"Don't bother, you'd be dead before you could pull it," he chuckled, "but I'm not here for that."

I inched closer to the edge bit by bit until he started to approach me. I stood up and backed away, but something cold stopped me. I saw the black slithery things were wrapped around my wrists and ankles, one each. I gulped, knowing I was trembling, but he seemed to just hold me there, frozen to the spot. I wondered if this was payback for Jeff. I doubted it, something like Slenderman wouldn't help Jeff the Killer, it was likely beneath him.

"So, tell me. How did you get here?"

"How should I know? I woke up in the middle of the road during a rainstorm, coincidentally, right outside that forest you just hunted me in, took inventory on basic things like my abilities and if Darkness would help me here, and tried to find some shelter."

The holds on my wrists and ankles tightened. "Tell the truth."

"I'm telling you the damn truth! What reason do I have to lie!? I don't even have a clue as to what this fucking place is! All I know is that I protect this city from Jeff the Killer and the city's gangs!"

The holds loosened again, and I growled in anger. "Then tell me, which name do you prefer?"

"My real one, obviously. Enderbrina."

The holds came away and he backed up, and I pulled my dagger, ready to fight. One of the black slithery things promptly dug its way through my heart.

"Um, ow," I said in an asking tone, grimacing.

"You're alive?"

"It takes quite a bit to kill me," I retorted. "Come on, seriously, you seem like you should know. We're supernatural beings. How long have you lived?"

"A long time. I've lost count of the years."

"Then you likely just woke up in that forest of yours, with only Darkness to tell you what to do. Just how I ended up here, except I had the benefit of a life before."

I saw the bony hands clench into fists. I was making him mad, oops. "Alright, I'm sorry. But we have a few things in common, right? Let's just," I sighed, pausing, "Truce?" I gave a nervous smile.

I waited, it seemed like he was going to just leave. Then, poof, he wasn't there anymore. I was stunned, he could teleport. I rapid-fire teleported to each of the corners of the roof of the skyscraper, looking around for him. There! He was back at the edge of his forest, the purple particles swirling around me as I teleported in front of him from my skyscraper, then teleported back, letting him know of another thing we had in common, and I heard the ringing again. I covered my ears but it didn't go away.

"Okay, I'm sorry about making you mad, geez… didn't mean to…"

The ringing stopped and he was gone, back to his forest. I sighed, and spread my wings, flying above the city, doing my daily patrol as the sun had just risen. There was nothing going on, and I was glad for a day off as the sun finally set and I sat back in the chair I had materialized. My wings and tail were gone, and I looked over at the bed I scarcely used. I dematerialized it, not needing it. I simply wanted the chair this night, and I looked up to see the moon floating high in the sky. The day had gone by peacefully and Darkness was on patrol for me. I heard the door that lead into the building open, and looked over my shoulder to see…

"Jeff the Killer?"

He jumped, then glared at me. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Um… waiting out the night? I always use this rooftop," I said, standing. "Why are you up here?"

"I need to kill someone. I _need_ to, so stay outta my way."

"I'm the only someone up here, why would you—"

I found a knife in my stomach. Grimacing, Jeff began stabbing me repeatedly. Eventually, my purple blood was pooling beneath me as he had torn a hole through my body with his knife. I woke in the death realm, and saw his face better. He had a carved smile, his face was purple with my blood, as well as the majority of his clothes. He stood back up, and left my body to bleed out, or so he thought. I waited, watching, until everything began to heal over. I rushed back and began eating, feeling like my stomach was a bottomless pit.

 _I let my guard down… damn it._ I walked over to the edge of the skyscraper, seeing him running around gleefully.

 _Let him go, Enderbrina. He… he needs to kill tonight._

 _Why does he need to kill?_

 _To calm the voices in his head._

 _He's crazy?_

 _In a way. You are too, don't forget. Deep down, it's just waiting to be unleashed._

 _S-stop… don't make me go bloodthirsty on the city that trusts me. Besides… I can control it._

 _You don't sound very sure of that._

 _Well I don't know how this place affects me entirely, not yet._ I sighed, maneuvering so my legs were hanging off the edge of the skyscraper and I was looking down at the city below. I put my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands, feeling so conflicted. _I can't get back home, can I?_

 _Unlikely. Computer screens aren't exactly like portals. They're made of glass._

 _I like this place, it's new… and full of lively things, and supernatural beings! More than home so far, but my home… will_ always _be my home. So far I'm just a rogue super "hero" that decided to protect this city. So in the long run, what does that make me? Yes, I'm… immortal, but my few abilities can only do so much, and I don't have a reliable way of getting power. I don't want to drain the people and I can't rely on the other supernaturals, they just want me dead._

 _Jeff is back. Careful._

 _What the fuck…_

I stayed where I was, not bothering to turn and see him.

"Hey, didn't I kill you?"

"Yeah, so? It's not like I'm immortal or anything. Oh, wait, it is."

"You should still be dead. You're immortal until you die."

"Not like that. I'm immortal forever… I'm going to live until the end of time. It doesn't matter how many times I die… I'll always come back."

"Why're you so miserable? That's a great thing to have. I could kill forever if I had that sort of thing."

I groaned. "Think about what that means, then decide if it's great or not."

Silence. Slowly, I stood up at the edge of the skyscraper and glanced back at him. I grew my wings and tail once more and stepped off, feeling the air rushing past me, then unfolded my wings and they acted like a parachute. I went flying off toward wherever, not really knowing where to go. I simply circled the city instead of leaving, until Jeff caught my gaze again, but he was gone when I got back.

"Good riddance."

Sitting back down in the chair I had previously materialized, I sighed, seeing the night was almost over. It was time for me to get ready for the day. Pulling on some fresh clothes while Darkness kept me hidden from prying eyes, I thought of how easy it would be for me to live in luxury. I could make a replica of my castle at home… but no. I had never wanted all that attention, yet I was getting here, too, regardless, and the worst part, I had attracted the attention myself. Unintentionally, of course, but I decided to lay low for a while, leaving before they could thank me.

I hopped into the air, patrolling from the skies for any early activity. I heard sirens wail and dropped down, catching a ride. It was the police, and I leapt off the roof of the vehicle after they pulled up to a burning building. I ran in, moving as quickly as possible. In this situation, my innate teleportation came in handy. I checked the house one last time, and felt something quake beneath me. It shook the entire building, and it collapsed, crushing me.

The death realm. Again. Once more, I saw through eyes that were not my own, not owned by anyone. Some people were crying, and I saw something escaping the scene of my most recent death. Following it in my soul form, I moved alongside it, scanning its features. A striped cone nose, yellow irises for its otherwise normal eyes, black hair, feathers decorating its shoulders, which were black and white. Its skin was nearly stark white; I was beginning to see a sort of pattern. There was black face paint. Black and white striped arms and legs with gray shorts that had suspenders was what I saw next. Finally, it had black shoes with… slight heels? Moving back a bit from the now stopped being, I saw it was a clown. A monochromatic clown, but a clown nonetheless. It was watching from the same damn forest that Slenderman had hunted me in. It laughed every so often, eventually breaking out into psychotic laughter. I left, back to the site of the burnt building. I let my ghostly form show, right over where my dead body laid beneath the rubble.

"You should all know by now crying on my behalf is unnecessary," I said in a kind tone. "Please, those of you that are, stop crying."

"We thought you had left us," said one police officer, amazed by my ghost.

"No, I simply had to know who set the dynamite beneath the building. I didn't find anyone, unfortunately."

"Dynamite?"

"While I was in the building, something shook every part of it, and it collapsed. It had to have been dynamite with the amount of force the building shook with."

"So what about you?"

"Me?"

"Um… physical you."

"Oh, I'll be fine. I'll dig my way out," I said, looking down. "All of you can leave."

I descended through the rubble, soon finding my crushed body. It would be painful getting out, but I was sure I could do it. Bracing myself, I went back.

Painful was an understatement.

This was — by far — the worst pain I had ever experienced. Agonizing was a better word for the current pain, yet still wasn't enough to describe the pain. I managed to shift slightly, worsening the pain. Breathing was difficult. I pushed myself up, every bit of me screaming in protest. I had been crushed by a burning building, what could I expect? The rubble was heavy, but something lifted some of the weight away. Then it was gone altogether. I sighed, wondering who it was. An annoyingly familiar voice made me grind my teeth.

"Why didn't you just teleport out?"

"Slenderman… why the fuck would you save me?"

"You're interesting," he chuckled. "No other reason."

I managed to shift into a sitting position, and my body began re-aligning and healing once I ate some metal and a few precious minerals. Rubies were a new thing here, and — so far — one of my favorite precious gems. I laid on my back in the grass, and saw white-face looking down at me. I sighed.

"Thank you for saving me," I said flatly, returning my gaze to the sky.

"You wanted a truce."

"Yes, not attacking one another, physically, mentally, or any other way. I didn't want saving in times of agony. I would've eventually gotten out of there _by myself,_ you didn't need to step in."

He was silent. I hated him, and I hoped he hated me, but we were under a truce until one of us hurt the other. I felt a sharp pain in my heart again, and saw a black slithery thing coated in my purple blood.

"So it is purple…"

"You could have asked, you know. Next time you hurt me purposefully, our truce ends and I'm going to kill you." He laughed. It was a pure laugh, he was amused. I growled, and the laugh softened to nothing. "So what are those things, anyway?"

I saw his head turn as if looking over his shoulder, then turned back to me. "They are my tentacles, for strangling and ripping apart victims."

"Oh. Well, I'm not gonna say that's weird, I've known weirder."

"Care to tell?"

"I'd rather you hunt me again," I said, before teleporting to the skyscraper rooftop again.

I was tired. Materializing a bed, I flopped down, pulled the covers over myself, and rested. Sleep gladly took me, and gave me dreams — no, nightmares — as I slept. Slenderman was chasing me, then Jeff, then that black and white and gray clown. I had determined it to be a clown, just by the way it was dressed and its laugh. My heart was racing in fear when I woke from the nightmares, and I sat up, angry that I had such awful nightmares, and most of all, that they scared me.

"Sleep well?"

"What the fuck do you want, Slenderman? I'm trying to sleep," I whined.

"Your dreams are quite fascinating."

"You were watching me!?"

"I was watching your dream. I had almost forgotten what I looked like. It is strange how, with all you've seen, you're afraid of me."

"Great… you have a high form of telepathy. Just what I need," I groaned sarcastically.

A cold tentacle wrapped around my ankle, and pulled me out of bed, leaving the sheets behind. I looked back at my settling blanket, and growled at Slenderman. I had my dagger out in an instant, and tried to slice the thing grabbing me, but another one stabbed me through the stomach. His white head tilted slightly, he was really making me angry. He was acting so _innocent_ as if amused by what he was doing. Our truce was over. I twisted in the air and used his chest as springboard and rolled to the foot of my bed, dematerializing it. Blood flowed freely from the wound where he had put the tentacle through me. I materialized two swords, both for me, and it was time. My second form: everything about me turned to the negative spectrum, even my clothes. I let it take hold on my soul, and crouched low, ready to spring. My skin had turned a mottled white, and my gradient hoodie faded dark green to white, my hair was a light gray now. My white, glowing eyes had turned black.

"Interesting. You made yourself look like me. What are you playing at?"

"I still have a face," I growled.

I waited, wanting him to make the first move, but when nothing was happening, I growled and sidled a little closer, then lunged at him. He teleported and I felt claws cut into my stomach. I knew where to go. I teleported both of us to the forest, and slipped out of his grasp, my innards threatening to spill out.

 _Come on, heal… heal!_

"You are already losing, why bring us to my home?"

I met him with silence. I had been caught off guard, and I knew here would be a better place to fight. No other place would be better. I breathed deeply, and lunged for him again, teleporting just before I reached him to be right behind him, and swung, my sword digging hungrily into his side. Then he teleported, and I was ready for the claws. I jumped upward, a tentacle catching me. I thrashed, then grew my tail and wings, and slashed his face with my tail. His mouth ripped open, and another tentacle moved in, the one around my throat likely not enough to hold me for long. I swung my sword at the one currently holding me, and hit the mark, effectively shortening the appendage. It was a beautiful sight to see him hurt. Claws swung at me as I was dropped a good meter or so to the ground, and caught my wing. It ripped a vertical line in the membrane. I gulped down a few gems, and felt my wounds healing a little. It was enough. This was done while avoiding tentacles and Slenderman's claws-for-fingers, and I was amazed I could even do it.

"Are you ready to give up yet, Night Hunter?"

"Hush, Slenderman, this is nowhere near over," I hissed.

This time, we both lunged, and I met the challenge gracefully. Slipping between his claws was simple enough, and I brought my two swords around and in, slicing his abdomen wide open. I teleported away, then saw his hands carefully inspect the twin wounds I had given him. His head was down, then directed toward me, and I could feel his gaze on me. I tilted my head just as he had done, and smiled. It was quickly gone, as the ringing started again, and the screeching, garbled static filled my vision. I growled, my own battle cry making him double over and hold his head in pain. His affected me longer, and I found myself under a purple-stained dress-slack-covered knee. He had purposefully put his knee into my abdomen, squashing my innards. The scream flew from my lips before I could realize what was happening. A hand closed around my throat, and I felt the fingers turn into claws and slice my head off cleanly, although some of my neck was in discs on the ground.

I had lost.

In all the time I had been alive, I had not lost a fight. I had won, one way or another. I had played mind games with my friends in my downtime to improve my fighting skills, I had practiced on enchanted training dummies and fought the things as if my life depended on it, and sometimes, it did; the dummies could fight back if the one training desired so. I was weakened as I came here, no longer was I as strong and undefeated as I was back home. But then, life had been boring. I had lost… I had lost! I wanted to scream just for the sake of screaming, but I was dead, merely a ghost. I saw Slenderman inspecting my body, and saw one of the discs roll into place, as if I was returning. Slowly, all the discs and my head lined up as the wounds closed, and I was pulled back, waking up and staring at Slenderman, now back to normal. Ringing hit my ears and static filled my vision again, and I groaned, still in pain. It stopped, and I saw a white, bony hand extended to me.

"No thanks. I'm gonna just lay here. Not taking help from you…"

"Why not?"

"Because we're both hypocrites. I loved attention and now I hate it. You wanted to kill me, and did, and now you're helping me?"

"It is just the way we are. Things change."

"Yeah, and my appearance doesn't."

He teleported away, and returned, pulling me along, to where, I didn't know. I saw a little shack, something more of a shed, which was likely where we were going. I began walking, too hungry to argue, and was pushed into sitting on an old sofa. I materialized some gems and minerals and metals, and heard something outside.

 _Drip._

Water?

 _Drip. Drip. Drip._

Is there a leak in the roof or something?

 _Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip._

"Hmm. It's raining."

"Just like the day I woke up here… I guess I should thank you for bringing me here. So, thanks. I'd be in a lot of pain right now if I wasn't here."

"The rain can sting if the wind blows hard enough."

"Oh, I never told you— well, that's a good thing, actually…"

"Something you want to tell me?"

"Not exactly, but you'll find out eventually, anyway."

I got up and opened the door. The rain was coming down hard. I stepped closer to the spot where the overhand ended, and put my hand out in the rain. I hissed, and pulled my hand back, then showed it to him before it could heal.

"I'm hurt by the rain and it can literally melt me if I'm not careful."

"Just rain?"

"Water too."

"You are telling me your weakness, you do realize."

"Yes…"

"Which I can use to my advantage."

"You already have advantages aplenty over me. Why not just add another to the list?"

I teleported back to the sofa and sat down, watching him walk in. I looked over at him, not moving my head, he was carrying a glass of water. Was he going to splash it on me?

"No, you have suffered enough at my hands today," he chuckled.

"Huh… okay… so what do you do all the time?"

"It is a lot like what you do, except I eat humans instead of saving them."

"I've heard some stories about what has happened. People that come here never escape, because of you, right?"

"A few others live in this forest. Jeff the Killer, and his recent 'prodigy,' Jane the Killer."

I tensed at the name. I was surprised, was it the Jane I knew?

"Laughing Jack, the one who set off the dynamite I planted in that building, lives in his own dimension."

"You set the explosives and you had him detonate them? Talk about framing… but, I'm worried about Jane the Killer."

"How so?"

"I knew a human, her name was Jane. Did Jane the Killer have a spouse before she met Jeff?"

"Yes, his name was Garry."

I nearly threw up, and no-face must have noticed. Tears welled in my eyes, poor Jane… she had been forced to become a killer.

"Why are you crying?"

"That bastard… I'm going to kill him…"

I got up, and went outside onto the porch. It was raining. So I waited, and I felt a tentacle wrap around my arm.

"What," I asked, impatient.

"Who are you going to kill?"

"Jeff, that's who! He took Jane and made her a killer!"

"Her mind is not what it used to be. Your attempt to free her will be fruitless. She lives with Jeff because he is the only one besides the rest of us that accepts her."

Anger welled up inside me, making the tears fall harder.

"You're all monsters… and I hate all of you," I said, wrenching my arm out of the grip of the tentacle. "If I ever see any of you again, I'm going to use every bit of strength I have in destroying your existence. Even you, Slenderman."

He caught my shoulder before I could leave, and I screamed, whirling around and punching him. I missed, he caught it easily, and I just crumbled. I teleported to Garry, hoping he wouldn't mind me staying overnight.

"Enderbrina?"

"I'm sorry, Garry… I didn't know until it was too late…"

"Don't cry," he said, his voice was weak. "Please, come over here…"

I picked myself up and went over to Garry, he was in bed. I saw wounds all over him, he was bleeding out. I sighed, and tried to pull power from around me. It was useless. So the only thing I could do to heal him was turn to my second form. I spread my hand above his wounds, and the healing flowed into him. His eyes never left mine, and when the wounds were gone, he breathed in deeply, sitting up as I returned to normal. I was tired, hungry, and perfectly miserable.

"What's wrong, Enderbrina?"

"Jane. Jeff the Killer took her… and she lives with him now…"

"How do you know this?"

"The day I chased after a gunman who tried to shoot me, I was drugged into sleep and woke up next to a forest. It was the very forest that multiple, unexplained disappearances have happened. I went in, and met _him_."

"Who?"

"Slenderman."

Garry laughed. "He isn't real."

"I assure you, I am quite real," I heard the deep, silky voice from behind me. "I am surprised, Night Hunter, you managed to heal his wounds."

"Shut up," I growled. "I don't care how much pain and torture you put me through, you _will not_ touch Garry."

"I had no intention of doing so."

And he was gone. Garry was in a cold sweat, and he looked at me in fear. I sighed.

"I am not with him, Garry. You can trust me. I promise I will do everything in my power to keep him from you. Darkness can help, right Darkness?"

A humanoid with glowing eyes like mine formed next to me, a representation of Darkness.

"Yes, I can and will help you, Garry. You have nothing to worry about. I will even stay with you during the day, if you like."

"P-please, even if it's only for a day."

"Garry," Darkness cooed, "I am always present. You need only call me, you are a friend of Enderbrina's, so you are a friend of mine."

Garry nodded, and he sighed. "Supernatural forces are so… so strange. In a good way, usually, but I guess not here in our sleepy little city," he chuckled.

"Garry, I have to go. Darkness, if he gets hurt, let me know immediately. I need to go… _talk_ , with Slenderman."

I teleported to the edge of the forest where the thick overhead foliage would keep the rain from pelting me, and walked around the forest, hearing dead silence. I knew Slenderman was watching me, and I simply walked among the trees, hearing the patter of rain on the trees. Then I stopped, and got an idea, smirking.

"Well, if nobody's out here… maybe I can just…"

I teleported to the cabin that Slenderman had dragged me to before and made myself at home. He wasn't there, and I wondered why he didn't live in a better place. The roof leaked in a few spots, and there were burn marks on the wall from flames that had gotten out of hand in the fireplace. I decided I wouldn't kill him quite yet, impressed by just how small this place was.

"What are you doing here, Night Hunter?"

"Waiting out the rain. Why do you live in such a… run down little shack?"

"I'm not an architect."

"Clearly."

I teleported outside, using my telekinesis as an umbrella, and did the same for Slenderman when he teleported outside, I could feel his glare on me,

"Do you have anything precious to you in the shack?"

"Why?"

I shrugged, "I'm gonna give it an upgrade, you could say. Get anything you consider precious, and return to that spot."

He was gone, then returned. I didn't see anything in his hands, and smirked.

"Why are you doing this?"

"As much as I hate you, nobody should have to live in conditions like these. Consider it a favor."

I envisioned something a bit more regal, almost like a small castle. Using materialization, I tore down the little shack and began building up the frame with sturdy oak wood, then a stainless steel coating over the wood for more sturdiness, and finally, perfectly white marble walls, and put insulation inside the walls for help during the hard months of heat and freezing cold. Once the outside was done, I teleported inside and returned all the furniture, but it contrasted the marble and ivory carpet, it was a deep burgundy color. A small side-room became my next interest, and I went in, thinking it would be good as bedroom. I set up a mirror, which instantly caught Slenderman's attention as I went about setting up the bedroom, a bed with a dozen pillows and black sheets, a wardrobe, and a closet. There was a bathroom off the side of the bedroom, and I wondered if it would work. Shrugging, I went to the room across the living room and turned it into a small kitchen of sorts, and decided it was finished.

"All set. I hope you like it."

"Again, why?"

"I was just hoping it might deter you from attacking me or Garry. Well, bye."

"Wait. Stay."

I laughed. "Stay with you? Yeah, like that will ever happen."

I left, heading back to Garry's apartment. When I got there, I saw cookies piled high on a plate in the kitchen.

"Garry," I called out.

"I'll be right there!"

I heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and smiled as I saw Garry looking at me, flipping on the lights in the small living room.

"Hey, how are you?"

"Just fine, thanks!"

We spent the rest of the night talking and making cookies. I was glad to hang out with Garry, he had just lost his wife. He needed a good friend, but I could tell he was acting strong. I felt sorry for him, he was alone now.

I was determined to be the good friend, I would want the same from him.

* * *

 ***Did ya like it? I'm trying my best at this stuff... I'm not super familiar with Slender so I gotta do my research... anyway, fave, follow, leave a review if you like, and I'll see ya in the next chapter! Thanks for reading! Really, thank you, it means a lot.***


	3. Chapter 3

***I feel bad for** **leaving those reading my other fanfics on a cliffhanger with the only other story I'm still updating... but I've lost inspiration and I don't know exactly where to go with that other story. Well, enjoy this chapter.***

* * *

I pulled the cookie sheet out of the oven and started placing the fresh cookies onto a cooling rack. Garry thanked me and let me have one from the batch we had made earlier.

"Thanks for all the help with these cookies, Enderbrina!"

"You're welcome. What are they for?"

"They're for the Christmas bake sale where I work. There are always kids who buy them."

"Christmas?"

"Do you not know about Christmas?"

"No, what is it?"

"Well, there are traditions that my family and I have upheld over the years… we get a pine tree, we call it a Christmas tree, and we decorate it with shiny things and usually the topper is an angel or a star. Lights go on it too. On Christmas day, presents appear under the tree for you while you sleep. Supposedly, they're brought by this jolly guy called Santa Claus. It's a holiday, but these days its mostly used for marketing, not for being with your family."

"So… are you going to get a tree?"

"I am, but, you know what snow is, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Snow is ice. Well, tiny flakes of ice, but it snows a lot here, during winter."

"Oh…"

"Anyway, I'd better get to wrapping these. Thank you again for all your help, it was nice to see you."

I smiled and looked outside, seeing nobody in the streets. I teleported outside, and was greeted with silence. I was surprised, and flew up to the top of my favored skyscraper. Materializing a chair, I sat down and looked at the ocean not too far from the city, maybe about half a kilometer from the city. I sighed, thinking about having been defeated by Slenderman.

 _What did I do wrong to lose like that? It was so… weird to lose. It might have been different, but now I feel the need to defeat him._

 _You do realize he's likely listening, don't you?_

 _Yes, I know, Darkness. Thank you for interrupting my thoughts… wait. What_ am _I doing wrong? Do you know?_

 _It could be the fact that you're used to relying on your power and abilities for three-hundred-twenty years. Perhaps you need a new approach, a new way of fighting. I've seen much of it throughout the years. Would you like some help?_

 _Would you?_

 _Of course. Tonight?_

 _Tonight._

I sighed, feeling relieved, and stood up as the sun reached its peak. The city had been relatively quiet, so I just stood at the edge of the skyscraper and observed the bustling city life. Nobody looked up to see me, they were confident I was looking out for them. I smirked, at home, I normally would have just swooped down, snatched someone from the streets, and cut their head off, throwing the remains back down into the crowd, then taking off.

"That's quite the imagination you have, Night Hunter."

"That wasn't my imagination," I replied evenly. "You have a bad habit of looking into my mind, don't you?"

"What can I say? I find your appearance in this world intriguing."

"Can't you leave me alone for one day?"

I knew he wasn't gone, but he was silent. Eventually, he broke the silence. "Are you going to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Drop down and kill one of them."

"I don't know. It's tempting, but I've been protecting them… it would feel strange."

"You seem to be having second thoughts about who your loyalties lie with in 'this world,' as you call it."

"Well, I guess I am. It's not easy with a soul like mine."

"You have a soul? I find that difficult to believe."

"You do too, y'know… souls aren't as complicated as the world believes them to be. If it's alive and has the ability to think, it has a soul. If not, like a plant or a rock, then it doesn't have a soul."

I felt a drop of rain hit my arm. Wincing, I put up a telepathy umbrella around me and kept the rain from hitting me. Taking a glance behind me, I saw he was standing there still, just watching me. I turned to watch the sun sink below the horizon, plunging the world into night, then turned back to him and frowned, inspecting him like I had never seen him before. He folded his arms, one hand to his chin as if he was thinking. Then, poof, he was gone. I never really noticed how annoying teleporting was until I had met him, and sighed. Darkness formed a humanoid in front of me, and took up a fighting stance.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be. No extra you's yet, though."

"Understood. Let's begin."

* * *

I fell to the floor, blood pooling below me. I coughed up more, and winced. My chest hurt from the brutal attacks, and it seemed Darkness was done for the night.

"That's enough. You did well. Even your power has risen by the slightest amounts."

 _I don't care about the power, I care about being able to fight back and killing that no-faced bastard._

"Good, because I was lying."

Darkness healed me and I ate some gems, sitting on the edge with my feet dangling over. I watched the sun's light slowly bathe the world in light, watching it rise and set was one of my favorite things in life, it wasn't often I did it at home. Now, I could do it every day.

 _Darkness, why did you lie to me? I thought you knew my intentions had changed._

 _I didn't lie. Your power actually did rise a little. I just needed to see your reaction to what gaining power would be._

 _I don't want it to. Yes, I wanted power before, but now? Now I just want revenge, even if it isn't the answer._

 _I'll be visiting with Garry today. Let me know if you need help during the day._

 _I will. Thank you._

I stared down at the bustling city life, bored. Few things had happened during the past couple days, and I hoped it was because Jeff the Killer had taken up terrorizing a new town, leaving the one I protected in peace for a while. The last thing I needed right now was power. I needed experience more than power, but I did realize I could feel presences now. Such as the many people below me, walking on the ground. Feeling presences was mainly for convenience, knowing who might be approaching me from behind. It could be helpful in close combat situations, however, if there were two people attacking me, I could dodge their attacks. Swinging my legs up and spinning 180 degrees, I stood up from the edge and stretched. Growing my wings and tail simply to feel them, I looked back to the city, bustling with mid-morning traffic.

 _It's been quiet… too quiet. What are those killers planning, I wonder, if anything? They're not my usual adversaries, but then, who is in this world? Nobody… not even Slenderman is, though we have much more in common than I thought we would._

I felt his presence appear behind me, and sighed. "What do you want, Slenderman?"

A moment of silence passed. "How did you know I was here," he asked. I could hear the suspicion in his tone. "No sensation of being watched happens outside my forest."

"Do you remember when I explained souls?"

"Yes."

"Souls give off presences. I recently gained a small bit of power, which was just enough to sense presences. While you say you do not have a soul, you do, but it is so vile and horrid that it hides from those without the ability to see souls."

I turned around, and static filled my vision. I grimaced, but took a throwing knife from my dematerialized storage, and threw it directly at him, even while blinded. Ringing began in my ears again, and I threw another knife, once again, directly at him. It all went away at once, and I looked to see he had constricted me with his tentacles.

"You bitch."

"What? I told you the truth and showed you that I was telling it. Why are you so angry?"

"I'm not supposed to have a soul," he growled, and threw me into the air, over the side of the building. I halted my induced flight and flapped my wings, climbing back into the air and moving toward the rooftop.

"Careful, don't want to get noticed, do you?"

He teleported to his forest, so I did too, just following him. Once more he lashed out, teleporting behind me and pushing my face to the ground of the forest. I felt him constrict the rest of my body and push it to the ground, so I was laying out flat on my stomach, legs together, arms by my side. I punched him with telekinesis, loosening his hold on me and managed to escape it. I kept my guard up. Why was he picking a fight with me now? Was it to test my regained ability?

He blended into the shadows, and I shoved my hands in my pockets, seeming off guard, but I was ready for anything. I wanted my swords, but bringing them into existence again could hurt this world. So, I went with plated iron ones, shaped like my swords. They were strapped into sheathes on my hip, one on each side, ready to be drawn at a moment's notice. I heard claws whistling through the air at me and pulled out the one shaped like my Shadowblade. The claws immediately struck the blade and nearly slipped, getting close to slicing the hand. Again came the claws, and out came my other sword to block. The static and ringing began all over again, and the claws managed to get through my defense once before I focused on just presences and my immediate surroundings, which were difficult to see due to the static. Practically dancing around his claws, I managed to get close-range to him and swing. Of course, he teleported out of the way. This continued until I was out of breath and a light rain began to fall. At least the air was cold, a bit more comfortable for me. The ringing and static dulled, then went away altogether. I saw his fancy shoes a couple meters from me. Standing up and leaning against a tree, I glared at him.

"What the fuck was that for? While I enjoy a good fight, that was just out of nowhere!"

Poof. Gone, and the watching sensation fell over me. I groaned, frustrated, and ate something to help my wounds heal. I sent out a scan for presences, not getting very far, yet Slenderman was still in the vicinity. I glared directly at him, even though I couldn't see him, and then his presence moved away. I climbed up into a tree, and practiced my scanning until I could reach the city limits that were opposite me. Finally, I was able to pinpoint Jane's presence. It was different, but I supposed I could see her one more time, just to see how she was holding up.

 _Darkness… could you silence my movement, please?_

 _It is done. Go._

I raced through the trees, headed straight for Jane's presence. She was Jane the Killer now, and Jeff the Killer was nowhere near her. I found her in a small shack, not unlike Slenderman's previous house before I rebuilt it, with a dead rabbit on the side of the stove and a pot of steaming liquid. There were vegetables near the dead rabbit as well.

 _At least she retained her cooking skills…_

I climbed into a tree checking the adjacent ones in case there were traps or harmful animals. Nothing, so I turned back to watching Jane.

"You made it back," she said, sounding excited. Jeff had returned, and she gave him a hug, getting the blood of his victim (or victims) on herself. "How was it?"

"Plenty of what they'd call bloodcurdling screams. It was too bad you had to miss it."

"Well, if we want this to taste good, it has to be watched at all times, and the ingredients you stole were in perfect condition!"

"You gonna add the whole rabbit?"

"Once I skin it and gut it. The skin will be useful come winter. Make blanket out of it and keep warm."

"Ain't you the whole package."

I nearly threw up, they were already in love. _How cruel is this world? Not much different than home, I suppose. I've just never been this close to humans — if I can even call those two human — for this long, so I never knew._

 _Enderbrina, you should head back._

 _Back? Back where?_

 _To your rooftop._

 _Forget protecting the city,_ I told Darkness, sighing. _I'm done._

 _Then what are you going to do?_

 _I can't beat Slenderman, and you know the saying._

I jumped down from the tree, heading for Slenderman's presence, turning whenever he would move. Finally, I found the circular clearing with the lush green grass and singular oak tree. I sighed, seeing the little marble house I had made for him. The rain struck me, reminding me it was raining, and I hissed in pain, drawing back under the cover of the trees. I used my telekinesis as an umbrella and made my way over to the small house. Before I could step foot within a meter of it, Slenderman appeared in front of me, and I shielded him from the rain as well.

"What do you want, Night Hunter?"

"Do you know the saying, 'if you can't beat them, join them?'"

"I've heard it before."

"I can't beat you," I said, hoping he would get the hint. "Allies?"

"Not friends?"

"No."

"Then go ahead in the house. Make yourself at home."

I teleported in, relieved to let go of my rain shield. I saw everything was a mess, but there wasn't much for blood. I went and sat down on the sofa, opposite of him, and a flashback reminded me of where I was. I tried to make myself as small as possible, scooting into the corner of the sofa and pulling my knees up to myself. Nothing was going the way I thought it would.

"You don't need to be so afraid. I'm not going to attack you since we're allies."

"I'm not afraid," I grumbled. "I'm just frustrated by the way things are going right now."

"You want revenge against me, I heard. What for?"

"You've beat me, what, twice?"

"I defeated you once. The battle you fought against me today was more of a draw."

"You had me defenseless. That counts as a draw?"

He chuckled, "Alright, twice."

"I don't really care, now, though. I'm not going to fight an ally, unless we're practicing or whatever."

"I have to ask you," he began, a smile in his voice, "What was that, when your skin turned like mine?"

"That was something called my second form. I used to have split personalities that gave it power. Now, nothing. It just changes the way I look. There's no benefits, except that I can use my healing ability if I turn into it." I looked outside, feeling depressed. "Why am I here," I wondered aloud.

"Because you are."

"I don't mean it like that," I growled. "I'm here for some reason, and I need to know why. It's not to help Garry, it's not to be your ally, and it's not to survive as best as I can in this world. I'd be home if it were any of those things."

"Calm down. We are allies, correct? Perhaps I could help you find the reason you're here."

"That doesn't sound like something you'd do, considering how… _evil_ you are. It's hard to see your soul with how deeply hidden it is."

"We are allies. We are supposed to help one another."

I scoffed. "Like you'd ever need help."

"I suggest you be quiet; I am going to go sleep. I do not want to be woken by you."

"Yep, because that's what you say to an ally… fine. You won't be woken by me unless its my thoughts, I promise."

He was gone, I sensed his presence in his bedroom. I looked out the window, just staring, not interested in sleeping.

 _Darkness, do you know why I'm here?_

 _It is not my place to release that information._

 _I thought you might say that…_

I teleported outside, the rain had finally stopped. I grew my wings and tail, and flew upward, leaving the ground far behind. I felt free whenever I flew, as if even this world, Earth, could not keep me bound. I looked up, the sky was clear tonight. The moon was so big, and I wondered what exactly might be on it, as it certainly didn't look like it was made of the pale yellow stone of my home. Something told me to fly there, but I didn't dare. I teleported to a random part of the forest, Darkness closing in around me and creating a small space for us to practice. Throughout the night, I fought it, sparring until it had bested me again. I didn't mind, though, it knew my every intent and would always win. It helped me back to my feet; I was smiling.

"Thanks."

"No need to thank me. It is worth it, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is."

I felt Slenderman's presence moving in the small house.

"I better get back."

When I teleported into the room, I was surprised to see him with his hand on the door, his mouth already ripped open. I figured he was going out hunting, and indeed felt a presence near the edge of the woods. Nobody I knew, thankfully. I followed, him not seeming to notice me. If he did, he probably didn't care. The presence moved into the forest, and I helped with the scaring. When the human stopped, I hid behind a tree and let my eyes be the only thing seen. His gaze landed on me, but I disappeared as soon as he turned his head my way, letting him only see my white eyes from his peripheral vision. I heard his breath hitch, and he walked a little faster through the forest. I heard the ringing, but it was faint, as if not directed toward me. The human clutched his head in pain, as the static likely filled his vision. It was interesting just to see what happened to someone when Slenderman used his abilities. As much as I hated to admit it, he was an amazing creature.

 _Crunch. Shlrk._

Oh. The human is dead. I approached cautiously, keeping my distance but watching him eat, trying not to stare. The smell of blood filled the air, and I did my best to keep from going insane from bloodlust. I pinched my nose and breathed through my mouth, the stench lessening a bit. A half-skeleton soon lay on the ground, but Slenderman took the disemboweled body elsewhere. I let go of my nose, the blood smell mostly gone. When he returned to me, he was still hunting, but his faceless gaze met my white eyes evenly, non-threatening. For the first time, I saw his mouth move when he talked.

"You are not afraid anymore?"

"We agreed to be allies. I can also get away quickly," I said, gently flapping my wings and looking over my shoulder. "I'd prefer we stay allies, if you don't mind."

"Then get me another human. I'm still hungry."

I rubbed the back of my neck, and sighed. I nodded and trudged out of the forest. Crime ran amok during dawn, so I swooped down and grabbed a gang member, he saw me immediately.

"Enderbrina! What the hell, I wasn't doing anything wrong!"

I smiled wildly at him, and dropped him in the forest. "That's okay, I wanna play a game. It's called, 'Stay Away from Enderbrina.' Self-explanatory, right?"

I disappeared into the shadows, seeing Slenderman looking at me. I gestured to the stunned human and told him about what I had said. With a nod, Slenderman slowly approached, keeping to the shadows.

 _Snap._

He stepped on a twig purposely. The human jumped, and looked around. I walked past him from front to behind, the light my eyes threw scaring him. He began walking, suddenly not feeling safe. Good; he was nowhere near safe. I hid behind a tree again, my head at an angle, my white eyes peering directly at him. He stopped when he saw me, and I was nearby. I slowly approached the gang member, but he backed up into a tree where Slenderman was waiting. His tentacles wrapped around the gang member, but let his scream fly from his mouth. The shadows withdrew enough and I smiled sweetly.

"You lost, little human," I said, pressing my index finger to his nose. "Can you guess what my prize is for winning?"

He was shocked. When no answer was forthcoming, I made a short gesture to Slenderman, and backed away. Another scream flew from the human's lips, but a tentacle silenced him as Slenderman began tearing into his prey. I smiled as the blood flew, a few drops landing on me. I giggled as Slenderman moved away from the mostly-eaten corpse.

"Would you like another," I asked, my bloodlust clouding my mind. "There's plenty, you know…"

I shifted my weight from foot to foot, rocking slightly in the process.

"You broke…"

I laughed, "I broke a _long_ time ago! I just never really… let it out. So, another?"

"Let's send a message to the humans. We'll scare someone out of their wits and send them back."

I nodded eagerly and took off, grabbing a thug of a different gang and dropping him in the forest, telling him the same thing I had told the other one, then sending him off into the forest. I made sure to scare him well, sending the thug straight into the grasp of Slenderman, and sauntered up to the pinned thug. I smiled and stood in front of him, only a small amount of space between us. I leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"What you've seen here today was real. Don't believe your eyes, do you?"

He was silent, I could hear his breath was shaky. Laughing, I teleported by Slenderman's side, and looked up at him, wondering what he would say. All I heard was silence, but the thug started screaming and writhing, until the tentacles released him and he ran, straight out of the forest. I smiled up at Slenderman.

"You know, this may attract even more humans to your forest."

"You may be correct. We are allies, perhaps you'd like a taste next time."

I put a finger to my chin in a thinking manner. "I don't think I've ever eaten a human before. However it wasn't normal for my kind to eat them… we eat metals and minerals."

"Very well, but if you ever would like to try, all you need to do is ask. I would not mind catching you a meal." He started walking away, stopping and saying, "By the way, if you'd like it to be, we could call it _our_ forest, being allies."

"Do you call it your forest when talking to Jeff the Killer?"

"Of course I call it mine."

"Then you should keep calling it that." I walked off into the darkness, static filling my vision as I headed into the dark beyond him. I stopped, waiting, until I felt his presence behind me. "That didn't mean I didn't like your idea. I don't want this to develop into love."

He scoffed. "I feel love only for killing humans."

"Keep it that way, and it can be our forest."

"You have nothing to worry about."

I nodded and kept walking. His significantly longer strides let him follow me easily until I was deep in the woods. I looked at the trees, there was just enough space for a small house. I outstretched my hand but his clamped almost painfully around my wrist before I could focus.

"What are you doing," he growled.

"Making myself a small shelter?"

He teleported away after releasing my wrist, and I focused on a simple stone house. I left out insulation, this part of the forest was always in shadow, therefore significantly cooler than the clearing. Watching it build as I focused on its shape, the roof became a bit of a problem. I did my best to make it a slanted one, then went inside and began furnishing it. Nothing fancy, a simple purple sofa, and a bed with pale yellow, white, and black sheets. I added a kitchen and decided it was enough. It certainly was less than what I was used to, but it gave me a small sense of comfort. I sat down quietly on the sofa, the silence engulfing my new home enjoyable.

 _You are happy._

 _For once in this world, yes. I am very happy, Darkness._

 _Good. We will begin training in a while. Until then, sleep._

I teleported onto my bed and laid back, Darkness putting me to sleep. It always made me uneasy when it did that, but I knew it was for my own good. It woke me a while later, as it was then pitch black in my little home. Getting up and stretching, it wasted no time in pulling me outside and began a new kind of fighting I had never experienced before. I was on the cold ground in no time, but I got back up and began one of the new fighting styles it had taught me. Eventually, it got me on the ground again, but only because I was exhausted.

"You did well," it complemented me, helping me up. "Your power is growing at a substantial rate."

"That's good, I suppose." I brushed myself of the dirt, grass, and pine needles. "Is there a relative way to gauge it so I know how much I have?"

"You're about a tenth as powerful as you were before you landed here."

"That's excellent progress… I should be able to fly without needing my wings and tail now."

"Try it. I shall catch you if need be."

"I'm just going to float off the ground and move around until I fall to the ground again. If it lasts for two days, then we'll know."

"Why two?"

"It's just an experimental number. It's probably about how long my energy will last If I constantly fly."

"Understood. Enjoy."

Two days went by with me floating about, even during my nightly training with Darkness, at which point I was exhausted from floating and having to train at the same time. I smiled, exuberant that I had managed to last two days. I finally let my feet touch ground again, relieved to feel the cold ground through my shoes once more.

"You've improved vastly, Enderbrina."

"Thank you, Darkness. It's all because of you."

"I'm sure once you're back to where you belong, Void will be overjoyed to be with you again."

"Oh… you won't be there anymore?"

"Do you prefer me over Void?"

"I can't have both of you, can I?"

"I'm always there. Void is just a part of me that lives with you."

"Oh, okay. I was hoping for something like that."

"Go, rest. I'll protect you."

"Thanks, I'll do just that."

I sat down on my purple sofa, and materialized a book. While reading it, I didn't notice two shadows at my window, and Darkness notified me. It was Jeff the Killer and Jane the Killer, to which I told it to let me handle the situation. I put the book away and materialized one of the many throwing knives I had dematerialized, pretending to marvel it its craftsmanship, before flicking it through my suddenly open window.

"I know you are there," I called out. "What is it you want?"

"Your blood," I heard Jane's new voice call back. It had gotten raspier. "Come on, Jeffy, let's kill her, like you said!"

I looked directly at Jane even though she was hidden by the dark. I heard her step backwards in the grass, then opened my door and stared down the spot where Jeff was hidden in the dark.

"I know where both of you are," I warned. "Get away from my house now, or suffer my wrath."

"Your wrath," a third voice cackled, "please, don't! I'll die of laughter!"

I tackled the third presence, not missing, and looked back at the two. Darkness was making it hard for me to see, closing in on all sides. I saw the monochrome clown beneath my shoe, and threw a knife into his bicep, then into his forearm where it would keep him rooted. His screams told the other two not to come any closer.

"Stay there if you want it to hurt less."

I felt a sharp sting in the back of my neck, then a toothed knife cut across my throat. The two killers had attacked me as I turned to them, getting revenge for their friend by killing me. I was in the death realm, my head sloppily sliced off. I growled and waited, trying to help the healing process by pushing my head closer to my body while a ghost. It worked, and I was back on my feet instantly, pinning Jeff to a tree and rooting Jane to the spot with telekinesis while also keeping Laughing Jack in place.

"You three are trying to mess with me? That's laughable. I've been gaining power every night, so think about what you're doing before you go ahead and do it."

I released my hold on Jeff's throat as his face began turning colors, then teleported back into my small home, releasing the telekinetic bindings on Jane and Jack. I sat on my sofa, and saw the three glaring at me before saying their goodbyes to one another and parting ways. I leaned back into the sofa, and eventually fell asleep. A soft thump woke me, but, dismissing it, I went back to sleep.

Upon waking, I got up and remembered the soft thump in the middle of the night. I went out to my small porch, and saw a plainly wrapped box there. I was confused, and felt a small presence was inside it. I put my ear to the box, hearing soft, rhythmic breathing. Whoever or whatever was in this box was asleep. Holes big enough for good air flow but not sight were made in the box, telling me it was, for sure, a living creature inside. Taking a closer look at the box, there was a sticker on it. It said it was for me, but from whom, I was shocked. Garry had given to me. I felt for his presence, it was nearby. I looked directly toward where he was, and he smiled as he broke free from the dark that kept him hidden.

"Well, hello, Garry."

"Aren't you going to open your Christmas present?" He was smiling, but something was off about him. He seemed too cheery.

"Something's wrong with you," I growled. That startled him.

"No! N-Nothing! I-I promise! It's Christmas, and I'm always super happy on Christmas."

"Hmm… so what's in this box?"

"You have to open it to find out."

I sighed, and knelt down by the box. I heard shuffling from inside, telling me whatever or whoever it was, they were awake now. Nervous, I tore off the paper and pulled the lid off the box. A mewl reached my ears as I saw a tiny kitten laying in plenty of swaddling cloth. Its big, blue — nearly purple — eyes looked up at my blank ones, and its medium-length black fur with dark gray mixed in looked soft. As I reached out slowly, the kitten purred and pushed its head toward my hand. Running my hand down its back gently, the kitten's purr was comforting.

"I did some searching on your kind. Do you like your present?"

"I love it…"

"The kitten is a he. I'm letting you name him."

I smiled. "Then his name will be Shadow. He's a little shadowy kitten."

"May I come pet him?"

I nodded, scratching under Shadow's chin, feeling him purr. "Little Shadow…"

"And his eyes are nearly purple, like your kind."

I smiled wider. "I should return the favor," I said, gathering Shadow into my arms. "Now, what's fitting?"

I looked at Garry, who was stroking Shadow's head. I pulled him into my home and lit the fireplace, setting Shadow down next to it. He looked around for a moment before settling into a laying position and going to sleep.

"Enderbrina, you really don't need to return the favor."

"Of course I do. I can make anything, name it."

"Surprise me."

I materialized a handful of perfectly formed and cut precious stones. Garry's eyes went wide as I held them out to him, now smirking. As if they were made of thin glass, he picked up each of them from my hand, then looked at the softly glittering gems.

"Do you like it," I asked.

"I… I know you could have given me something like this anytime you wished. Why now?"

"You'll be rich."

"But you're living in this… cold little shack."

"If you did some searching, you should know my kind lives on the moon, and therefore we enjoy the cold. Besides… these woods… are not a place a _normal_ human can traverse safely. You have Darkness on your side, but only because of me. I'm sure Slenderman had sensed you, and likely chased you without your knowing."

"I did feel as if I was being watched on my way here… is that what it feels like when he's chasing you?"

"Shit… he wasn't just chasing you. He was hunting you… the bastard."

"How am I supposed to get home safely, then!?"

"Darkness can do that, but you must be willing to let it."

"Of course I am."

"Are you sure? It must consume you and you'll temporarily become part of it, just a soul it protects until you arrive at your destination."

"That sounds like teleporting. Is it really so simple?"

"It is, but teleporting is a bit different. Teleportation is instant, Darkness' transporting takes a few seconds."

"But I'll be safe?"

"Yes."

Garry breathed deeply, and looked at his feet where Darkness was slowly forming. He nodded, and Darkness consumed him, but kept his shape. He looked at me, surprised, and I admitted I was as well.

"Wow…"

"Goodbye, Garry. Darkness will tell me if you get hurt, but… we likely won't see much of one another anymore. Trust me, this is the best present I can give you. Happy Christmas."

Darkness pulled him away from me, returning him home. It returned in a humanoid form, without Garry. I felt his presence in his far-away apartment, and sighed.

 _He's sad._

 _I figured he would be. At least he's safe from me and the other monsters in this forest._

 _So you're accepting that this world sees you as a monster more than anything?_

 _Did they really think of me that way, even before we scared that human and sent them back? I understand I was_ very _different, hardly human, but they were afraid of me?_

 _They were. Much controversy about you being harmful or helpful went around on the internet. There are those who remembered you from before, and those who remembered you had mixed thoughts on you, whether you'd be helpful or not._

I sighed again, and sat next to Shadow, who was sleeping lightly. His indigo eyes gazed lazily up at me as I sat down.

"At least you like me, little Shadow. I wish I had telepathy so I could talk to you… maybe even learn how to speak cat, heh."

Shadow meowed, and sat up, looking at me intently. I realized he was likely just barely old enough for solid food, and thought about what to feed him. I decided on a new fish I had found lived here: tuna. I materialized a can of it and put the drained contents in a small plate. Shadow sniffed at it, and licked his chops before eating it. I let him eat, watching the fireplace, leaning against the sofa while sitting on the floor. When Shadow meowed again, I dematerialized the plate and materialized a bowl with water in it. Looking over at the door, I remembered seeing doors for pets when there was a fence around the house property. I made one for Shadow, then stood up and made a small room for him, with everything he might need, besides perishable food. The room had plenty of places to climb on and squeeze through, but none too small or precarious.

Shadow was looking around the house, and when he found his room, he began sniffing everything while simultaneously exploring his ledges and squeeze-through spaces. I smiled and he jumped into my lap as I sat down next to the entrance of his room. Purring, his claws pricked my skin, and I winced, but stroked his head and back anyway. Once settled, he pushed his head into my hand, rubbing his cheek against my nails. I felt the softness of his fur, and eventually, he grew tired of self-scratching himself on my hand, and eventually laid his head on my lap. My first Christmas had been sad. I hoped for my own sake, I would be left alone for the rest of the day.

Luckily, I was, but with Shadow.

* * *

 ***I love cats. I actually used to have two black cats so that's why I used them in this story. Hell, one was even called Shadow. I miss them... -sniff- but hey, they were adorable cats. Well, anyway, don't forget to fave, follow, and/or review, because it helps more than you realize. Thanks for reading, I'll see ya in the next chapter!***


	4. Chapter 4

***I just realized I hadn't updated this in a month when I went to post this chapter. Whoops! Anyway, hopefully you'll forgive me because I'm giving this story a double update this time. Enjoy!***

* * *

"Such a pretty kitty, you are, Shadow," I cooed to the kitten. "What a pretty boy…"

Shadow meowed at me and purred, butting his head against my leg, as I was currently putting food onto a plate for him in my small kitchen. I thought about what to eat for a meal that day, wondering what I really wanted. Dare I take up Slenderman's offer? No, not right now. I wasn't crazed with bloodlust addling my mind at the moment. Perhaps if I was hungry next time I was insane, I would take up his offer. Instead, I cut up some fruit into slices and materialized some precious gems. Sitting down on my sofa, I ate silently, wondering what Slenderman did in his free time besides scare, kill, and eat humans. I was one of them now, why not wonder? I looked up as Shadow walked into the room. He jumped up beside me onto his blanket and laid down where I could stroke his soft fur. His loud purring made his neck and sides vibrate.

It had been a couple weeks since Christmas, yet nobody was bothering me. Suspicious, I scanned for presences within the forest, and everyone was accounted for. Except for Laughing Jack — the monochrome clown — who lived in his own dimension, so Slenderman had said. I didn't know whether to believe him or not. Something like that was not probable. I supposed it was not impossible, however, and just stared out the window. I saw a white head meandering by my house, towards the border of the trees. Interested, I had Shadow stay in the house while I slipped out, Darkness silencing my footsteps as I caught up with him and fell into line next to him.

"Good evening, Slenderman," I greeted politely. "Hunting?"

"Starved," he growled.

"I'll find you someone to eat."

Without waiting for an answer, I took off into the sky, making sure my wings and tail were present. He didn't need to know about my inexhaustible ability to fly yet. I looked down, flying high above so my eyes looked like two far-away stars. I saw a group of thugs, and swooped down, catching two, making sure neither of them were the one we had sent back after scaring him out of his wits. Confirming this, I teleported us to the forest and threw them — none too gently — to the ground, near the edge of the woods. Deciding I was still hungry and would take up the offer, I grabbed a third human and brought them to the edge of the trees, where I had left the thugs. They were gone, and I escaped into the trees, feeling my crazed nature beginning to course through me. I couldn't help it, the thought of tearing open a human and eating their flesh was beginning to grow on me. I felt Slenderman herding them toward me, and jumped on them, choking them painfully until their eyes became dull and sightless. I flayed their body, tearing off a chunk of the outer flesh. Biting into it, my teeth sliced through it easily. They were made for eating gems and iron, after all; as I was chewing the bloody flesh, there was no taste of copper, as human blood tasted like that when I was… more sane. It was delicious.

"Do you mind sharing?"

I frowned at him; his sudden laugh sounded genuine as he leaned against a tree and watched me eat the human. Soon there were just organs and bones left, even the eyes had been pulled out of their sockets. They had a nice pop and a slightly bitter flavor to them. I looked down at myself, I was smothered in their blood. Not caring, I thanked Slenderman for the offer, secretly wishing I had done so earlier, and walked home. Shadow looked up at me, and when he caught scent of me, he mewled in terror. I teleported past him after materializing a few toys to keep him busy while I cleaned myself. I found him sleeping in my discarded clothes, the clean spots, when I finished. Dematerializing them, he fell a hair's breadth to the floor, the cold tile startling him and he went back into the living room. I returned to the living room fully dressed, and sat on my sofa, watching him play with yarn and a pouch that was filled with catnip.

His pupils were dilated; I knew he was affected by the catnip, and as he rolled around in the small amount he had managed to pull from the small pouch. I dematerialized the pouch to keep him from spilling it everywhere. I sighed and teleported into my bed. I was tired, honestly, as I had used my wings — and not my flight ability — to get our meals. I stared at the ceiling, wondering what I would do all day. I usually found something, _anything_ to busy myself, but nothing had been more satisfying than strangling the human that had I had eaten. Shadow jumped up onto my bed, settling down beside me. I stroked his head absentmindedly, talking to him as if he could understand me.

"What do you do all day, Shadow? I know you play a lot, but do you ever get lonely while I'm gone?"

Shadow meowed, and it sounded different.

 _Shadow is not a normal cat. He understands you to a degree, more than most cats. I can translate for him, if you like._ Darkness had spoken.

 _How would you do that?_

 _He will speak through me._

 _Okay, I like that idea. Will you tell him the same?_

 _Done._

I turned my attention fully toward Shadow, his indigo eyes staring intently back at me. I bit my lip, nervous. A few moments went by, and then I spoke.

"Hi, Shadow."

"Hi."

"I hope you… didn't mind me picking a name for you."

"No."

"This is so awkward…"

"I like you, Enderbrina."

"I like you too, Shadow," I replied, and scratched his cheek. He purred. "I'm sure you like this…"

My only response was a louder purr. I chuckled, then laid back down, laying on my side and Shadow laid down against my stomach.

"Why were you covered in blood when you came home?"

"I ate a human. They hate and fear those that reside in this forest."

"Even me?"

"Well, with your unusually colored eyes and your unnatural intelligence, it would be likely." I yawned. "I'm tired… let me sleep, please."

Shadow moved to an area of the bed I was not occupying, and settled there, also sleeping. I dreamt little, but savored what I could remember, as my dreams were vivid yet infrequent. As I woke, I clung to what I could remember, but it was just snippets of a happy dream. Crestfallen, I looked at Shadow, who was still sleeping near the corner of my bed.

"Shadow," I said softly.

He purred as his sleepy indigo eyes opened. When they focused on me, he meowed.

"Oh… I don't understand you anymore. I guess Darkness is busy right now. We'll have to wait until it's not busy anymore."

Shadow meowed again, and padded into my lap as I sat up. As I stroked his back, his ears pointed toward the door, and his fur bristled as he growled.

"Oh boy, a visitor. Alright, let's go meet them."

I got up and Shadow raced to the door. Once I opened it, I saw it was who I suspected.

"Hello, Slenderman. What brings you to my little home today?"

"I sensed something else in this house with you. What is it?"

"It's a cat, and don't you dare kill it."

"I'll try to restrain myself," he replied sarcastically.

Shadow was standing behind my legs, and I pushed him gently toward the monster I had become well-acquainted with. As he reached out, he let Shadow sniff his hand before his long fingers ran over Shadow's furry head and back.

"Slenderman seems nice, I don't smell any threat in his scent."

"Oh, Darkness is back. I can understand you now, Shadow."

Shadow's tail lifted in happiness. I invited Slenderman in, but he declined and disappeared.

"Well, that was odd…"

"Does he eat humans? I smelled blood on him…"

"He does eat humans… I don't know about anything else he might eat, though."

"How did he disappear like that?"

"He has teleportation, much like myself." I teleported across the house to demonstrate. "Supernatural as we are, he more than matches me in battle. Darkness has been teaching me new ways of fighting and my power had risen well since it began. Eventually, I hope to talk to you through telepathy."

"What's that?"

"Telepathy is the ability to speak with your thoughts. Namely, I can link my mind to yours, temporarily of course, and we can share our thoughts. It would be nearly the same as we are talking now, except it would be a silent conversation, only we would hear it."

"Wow, sounds amazing. I'm going to sleep by the fire."

"I'll be out."

"See you later, then."

Shadow stretched and laid down, curling up by the fire. I stepped outside, not bothering to lock the door. Darkness taught me for a while; once I was tired out, I sat against a tree and made idle chat with it. After I regained my strength, I saw Jeff through the trees and teleported in front of him, but out of reach. I met his hard gaze evenly, waiting for him to say something.

"What do you want, bitch," he spat.

"I am not a female dog, nor am I an enemy any longer. If you wish, we can be… allies, to a degree."

"I smell blood… have you been killing humans?"

I tilted my head slightly, looking at the cut smile on his face. "As a matter of fact, I ate one earlier. First one. Surprisingly, they are quite tasty."

Jeff's eyes went wide; he blinked at me. "You… killed and ate a human. Great, the last thing we need in this forest is more damn Slenders."

"How many are there?"

"Just the one, that I can't kill, like I can kill you."

The statement that he could kill me struck me as funny. I laughed, surprising him. "Yeah, like you could kill me now. That's hilarious."

He growled and stalked off. I heard silence overcome the area around me, and knew Slenderman was nearby. The two of us were on friendly terms to some extent, weren't we? I teleported to the clearing and took a deep breath as I looked at the snow-covered ground. There wasn't much going on. I wondered what might be happening back where I was from. Not home anymore, this was my new home. I came back to reality and realized I was bored. I should be glad for a break, but now my fighter's spirit was making me antsy. Pain sparked from my back. I felt Slenderman's presence behind me. The tentacle retreated from me and I turned around, eyeing him carefully.

"A fine hello to you too," I said flatly.

"Show me how far you've progressed."

"Would it not be easier to just ask? You could have asked earlier, too." I folded my arms, sighing. "Alright, I'll show you."

Materializing twin iron swords, I fought him. Once more, I was defeated, yet I had lasted longer. Victory was getting closer, I thought as he tore out my intestines slowly. My scream tore through the air, until I was enveloped in the dark embrace of death. He had killed me in such a brutal way. It was… a mutual benefit, I supposed. He got his fill of killing for fun; I got some practice and seeing if he had advanced any in his own way of fighting. It was apparent to me he had still held back quite a bit during our most recent fight. I was pulled back, to what I hoped was a surprised Slenderman.

"Interesting…"

"What, my insides?"

"No, how your body pulls itself back together. Your intestines looked like snakes slithering back into your body."

"And I'm covered in my own blood now, so thanks for that…"

"You're lucky I didn't taste you and find your flesh appetizing."

"There she is!"

I saw Jeff and Jane run from the trees, Jane aiming for my head as she threw her large kitchen knife. I caught it easily, and returned it with more force, making it embed itself in her forearm. She gritted her teeth and punched me with her good arm, ripping the knife out of her other arm and engaging in close combat with me. I could feel the exact movements of Jeff and Slenderman fighting, subconsciously using some of Jeff's fighting moves against Jane, using her own counters against her as well. Then, she struck me. I fell onto the ground, her pinning me and stabbing me repeatedly until I was just a bloodied body. The death realm was its usual self, as always. I heard encouragement from my crazed side, its idea not appealing to me.

 _Just this once! I'll show you how powerful I am!_

 _I'm not letting you take control._

 _Come on! Just this once so I can show you! I promise, you'll reconsider locking me away. I would never tear you apart, you're… me. Come on, let me out of this cage, let me show you our power when I am free. I won't kill anyone, I promise! I'll make sure they will live._

I sighed, it wasn't going to give up. I nodded, and with monstrous force, my crazed side pulled me in and took control of my mind. I stood up, giggling insanely. I looked around, Jane the first thing I laid my eyes on. I leapt at her, my sword mid-swing already. I managed to slice a hamstring so she couldn't walk as I danced around her in a flurry of attacks. She groaned, on the ground, and I snuck up behind Jeff, cutting both of his legs down their length. I smiled down at his form, his face in the snow. Their blood was staining the pure white snow a beautiful crimson. I heard Slenderman say something, my gaze locking onto him with he same smile on my face; a mad-with-glee smile.

"Calm down, Enderbrina."

"But I just got started! I wanna go kill some humans now! Maybe a few dozen!"

"Stop it," he said forcefully, his tentacles wrapping around me and squeezing me.

I broke free, but then realized what was happening. I forced my crazed side down, back within my soul. I sighed, regretting having let it take over.

"What was that? You nearly killed both of them."

"I'm well aware. I made sure they would both live," I replied, dematerializing my weapons for the time being. "As for what it was, it was me, but in a crazed state. It's a bit different from how I was when I ate the human."

"Explain it, then."

I collected my thoughts, it was indeed a thing within me that always yearned to break free. I wondered, since I had recently been regaining power, could it be?

"I'm not entirely sure how to explain it. I wasn't bloodthirsty… but I was definitely having fun just hurting them. I think… I may have… gotten one of my split personalities back."

I looked up at Slenderman, he was staring down at me. Retreating away from him, I felt scared. I teleported to my small home, and shut myself in my bedroom. I heard Shadow pawing at my door, meowing. His meows sounded hollow.

"Not now, Shadow, I'll play with you later."

I heard his hollow meow again. Closing my eyes, I looked inward to my soul where the beast was hiding. It greeted me happily. I felt a spark of hope knowing it was there, I could finally defeat Slenderman if I gained more power and re-trained myself to get my split personalities back.

 _I can't let you do that, Enderbrina._

 _Darkness?_

 _Your purpose of being here is not to defeat him._

 _I thought you'd help me, you said—_

 _No. Nothing more than training. Not getting your split personalities back._

 _But—_

Darkness formed a humanoid next to my bed. I could tell it was angry. Before I could move to stand and avoid it, it pulled me outside and threw me to the ground. I felt a tingle throughout my body, and it quickly turning into a burning pain. I couldn't keep in the scream that escaped me. Darkness was doing this, I was sure of it, but I didn't know _what_ it was doing. The burning pain slowly went away, leaving me feeling empty inside. I breathed heavily, and looked up at its form standing over me.

"W-what… the fuck, w-was that, Darkness!?"

"Your ability to take on your second form is gone. You will no longer be able to gain any more split personalities, nor use them to take your second form."

I laughed, but I could hear it sounded more like I was coughing. "Fine, I needed a new approach to fighting. You just did me more of a favor anyway," I mocked.

"I believe Darkness has made a grave mistake, Night Hunter."

Darkness vanished. I breathed shakily as I stood up from my sitting position on the ground. Leaning against a tree, my arms still burned, but I ignored it, knowing everything Darkness had done had passed.

"Like you care," I mumbled. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my voice. "Why do you think that? I _did_ rely on my abilities too much before it started training me."

Slenderman gave me the usual faceless stare for a moment. "You have a need to defeat, no, _kill_ me. I loathe Earth, and death would be a welcome thing."

"You're… you're not immortal like me? You seem like you would be."

He chuckled. "I am immortal as you are. Death would be welcome respite from this place, if only for a few minutes."

"I understand the feeling…"

"I'm sure you've realized I won't just offer you to kill me."

"Yes, I have. If you don't mind, I'm going back home now."

I turned and walked into my home, Shadow looking up at me when I walked in. I wished for a moment he was like any other cat, but I was glad for his intelligence. I heard his meow, and knew Darkness had left me alone for a while. I said this softly to Shadow, explaining what had happened, and he pressed his nose to my stomach, trying to comfort me. Soon he got up and picked up a toy, carrying it in his mouth. I noticed it was the catnip pouch. Dropping it in my lap, I knew what he was trying to do.

"It's called catnip for a reason Shadow," I chuckled. "Only works on cats."

I felt his tail fall onto my leg, which usually meant something like, "I tried, but it didn't work." Sighing, I pushed the pouch toward him, and he shied away from it, not wanting to be affected. Picking it up with his claws, he batted it over toward his other toys. I saw his pupils were slightly dilated, showing he had been affected somewhat. He laid down next to me, showing his belly. Chuckling, I put my hand down to his belly gently, and rubbed just as I had put my hand to his belly. He purred, then batted at my hand with his paw, claws retracted. I stopped rubbing him, and he rolled onto his side, laying out on my sofa.

"Thank you, Shadow. You always know how to make me feel better."

He meowed, but I shook my head.

"Nope, still can't understand you."

 _Allow me to offer some assistance._

 _Darkness? What the fuck do you want now? Isn't taking away my second form enough for you?_

 _This is my apology. You will receive telepathy in exchange for something I would like very much._

 _What do you want from me?_

 _Forgiveness. It was wrong for me to take what I did, however necessary._

 _I was too reliant on that,_ I said _. You did the right thing and took it from me. However, did you head what Slenderman had to say? He thinks it was a very bad mistake on your part._

Darkness was quiet for a moment before replying. _I heard the conversation between the two of you. While he is immortal like you, the whole point of your training was to make sure you could one day defeat him_ without _the use of your second form. Once that happens, you'll be allowed your second form back. Perhaps sooner if I am feeling generous._

I nodded, and felt its dark humanoid hand fall on my shoulder. I felt a tingle, and braced myself for the pain. Instead of pain, it was a cold sensation, spreading throughout my entire self. It felt like the cold of my previous home. I sighed, subconsciously leaning into the cold touch. It quickly became a grip, and I looked up. I was startled when I saw Slenderman there, and drew away.

"The hell!? Don't just appear in my home, Slenderman!"

"It is my purpose to scare and terrorize," he chuckled, moving away and looking around my home. "What did Darkness do for you?"

"Shouldn't you be able to look into my mind and find out yourself?"

"Ah, telepathy. Enough to speak with your _precious_ cat." His voice dripped with sarcasm as he said precious.

I stood up, growling, but he left before I could take a step toward him.

 _Then you should know it will be easier for you and I to talk. I look forward to our conversations, you know. I learn much about you when we talk._

 _Go away. I want to talk with Shadow._

I felt his intrusion linger a moment, then the connection severed. I plopped back down on my sofa, and Shadow stood up, looking at me with interest.

 _Hey, sorry I woke you._

Shadow jumped back in surprise, his ears swiveling wildly.

 _Woah, calm down. It's just me, Enderbrina. Darkness gave me telepathy. Just think and I'll hear it._

 _You scared me…_

 _Sorry, I didn't mean to._

Shadow and I conversed through thought for a while; eventually I became tired and got up to go to bed. Shadow followed me, wanting to stay close to me. I smiled when I saw him laying in the soft sheets at the foot of my bed. Turning over on my side, I had some peaceful sleep, something I had dearly needed.

Waking up, however, was not so peaceful. A great big carved smile awaited me when I woke. I sat up quickly.

"Jeff! What the fuck, I was sleeping!"

"Yeah, you looked peaceful too. Anyway… someone told me you were going to kill everyone living in this forest."

"That's old news. Now get out, that is no longer the case."

"Hey, I was just coming here to check on you. Slends said you two are friends, if that's even possible."

 _Friends? You feel that we're close enough to be friends, Slenderman?_

No answer. I didn't feel his intrusion, either. Sighing, I answered Jeff.

"I guess its possible but we're just… how should I put this? Killing buddies."

"Sounds like there's something going on between you two," he taunted.

"Uh, no? I think he's interesting, for a creature so much like myself, but other than that I usually just chase a human into our forest and he eats them. I'm self sufficient, I can eat whenever I please."

Jeff smirked, his already-wide smile never faltering when he jumped out of my bedroom window. I closed it after him, and saw Shadow was already playing with his toys. When he looked up at me, his dilated pupils narrowed a bit. He held up his paw and looked at it, a toy was stuck to it and he put his ears down.

 _Oh. Sure, I can get the toy off._

 _Thanks._

 _Retracting your claws didn't work?_

 _No, it is stuck to them._

I managed to gently pry the string off from around his claw, and noticed how long his claws were getting. I put up a scratching post so he couldn't only sharpen but "cut" them to his liking. I heard him scratching at it as soon as I was gone from the room. His purr — which was incredibly loud — told me he liked it.

 _You've got quite the purr for such a young cat._

 _I've been told I'm special._

I laughed at that, his purr never faltering.

 _Well, that thing I just materialized is not only to sharpen your claws but also to cut them. I didn't want to hurt you by cutting them manually._

 _Why sharpen?_

 _It'll make kills quicker when you hunt mice in the forest._

 _You mean… go outside?_

 _Of course. You've never wanted to go outside?_

 _No! I want to stay here!_

 _Well, I can go with you for your first few times if you want. I might scare off prey, though._

 _That's okay, you feed me well anyway._

I put down the book I had been reading and Shadow walked into my kitchen. I moved a chair out for him, and he sat on it. He kept his paws off the table, looking at the book in my hands.

 _What is that thing?_

 _It's called a book. I read it like I can read your thoughts, but it's someone else's hard work, and it has words on paper. It tells a story, written by the author, the person who wrote the book. This particular book is about an elf of sorts._

 _Will you read it to me someday?_

 _I suppose I could. While you're an incredibly intelligent cat, I think a book a little more basic would suit you. I'll try to find one to nab at the bookstore later, okay?_

 _Yes!_

Shadow kneaded the chair below him, but I got up, dematerializing the book for later. He followed me, and I looked outside, cursing when I saw it was snowing. Looking at Shadow, I realized his fur was fluffed up; he was cold. Quickly, I added a basement with a water boiler, and small heaters next to the wall. My small shack was becoming more and more of a home. Once I put up the boiler and some fuel tanks for it, I made sure it was on and went back to the main floor.

 _Hey, it's warmer in here._

 _I added heaters. It'll warm up in no time. I noticed you were cold, nearly shivering._

 _Thanks… I_ was _close to shivering._

 _You're welcome. I'm going to run to the bookstore, steal a book for you, and read it to you, okay?_

 _Okay, I'll stay here._

I flew off to the bookstore, having to use my wings as Darkness had also taken some of my power when it gave me telepathy. I sighed, but it helped me steal a book for Shadow anyway. I paused on my way back, looking at the apartment building Garry was in. I didn't know about how he was doing, and Darkness was telling me to move on, but I ignored it. Slowly, I moved closer to the tiny sill of the window, carefully opening it and holding onto the inner window sill. Folding my wings and crawling in, I closed the window and listened for any noise. I knew Garry was alive, I could feel his presence. He was in the second floor of his apartment, not moving, and the entire apartment itself was silent. I heard only my own, nearly silent footsteps as I made my way upstairs. I could hear heavy breathing coming from Garry as I got closer, and there was the sound of rustling sheets along with his heavy breaths. I teleported to his bedside when I could see he was tossing and turning in his sleep. Unsure of what to do, I shook him by his shoulders until his eyes opened and he saw me. I stepped back, hoping he would say something but also keep his distance. His cold sweat he had been in was making me hungry, and I didn't want to eat a human at this point.

"Enderbrina, why are you here?"

 _I had to check on you, idiot, and make sure you didn't get yourself killed,_ was what I wanted to say. Instead, I answered his question with, "Just making sure you're holding up okay… sorry I woke you from your nap but… you were having a nightmare."

"O-oh, yeah… I was… thanks for that."

By the way his cheeks flushed soon after, I wondered what he was thinking about. So I asked bluntly, and he only blushed more.

"It's been a while since Jane left me… I've been seeing a few women, but none of them have my best interests at heart."

"Garry, I'll say it now. No, I am not going out with you."

"But why!? Give me three good reasons!"

"Easy. One: I'm immortal, you'll pass on and I'll be stuck in this world forever, or my own, original home. Two, I'm a monster, literally. While I can have human feelings and seem nearly human, I'm not. Three… about a week ago," I paused, putting on the most serious face I could, "I _ate_ a _human."_

Gary's face was that of shock. He stammered for a moment before I held up a hand. I sighed, trying to keep my composure.

"You have to try to understand, Garry. I cannot end up eating you. I'd never forgive myself. Whatever small sliver of humanity I may have is the only thing keeping me away from doing that, but when I smell blood… it drives me over the edge. If I'm not hungry while in a state of insanity, I kill, and do not discriminate." I paused, letting the new information sink in. "So now, you know what I am. A monster, from another world. Yet you still think of us as friends; am I correct?"

"You helped me so much, how could I not!?"

"Even after hearing the truth?"

"Yes…"

My stomach growled. I winced, and teleported away, intent on finding a good kill that would fill me. I felt Slenderman on the other side of the forest, it seemed he was also hunting, and having more luck. I spotted a young woman, she seemed to be around twenty years. I grabbed her by her wrists and threw her into a tree, her head smacking against it. Lopping off the head with one of my swords, I began tearing into the flesh.

 _This is such a new experience still… but I am beginning to find that my loyalties lie here in this forest… it will be better this way._

 _Caught yourself a meal, I see, Enderbrina,_ Slenderman's baritone voice echoed in my mind.

 _Yes, I have. What do you want now?_

 _I noticed you didn't eat the brain of your last meal._

 _I wasn't as hungry then. Give me a break._

A chuckle. _Yes, you are most interesting indeed._

 _I find you an interesting being yourself._

I cracked open the skull like a coconut, cutting away unnecessary bits and eating the rest. I felt his presence moving toward me at an exceptionally quick rate, and looked up just as he arrived. Standing in his usual attire of a fitted tuxedo and black dress slacks with shiny dress shoes, his white head was far above me as I sat on the ground. We were both covered in the blood of our "meals," as he had called it. He just stared, but off into the trees.

 _Trying to sense an extra human?_

"Yes. You are a curious one."

Looking off where Slenderman was looking, I saw a younger female than the dead one I had been eating away at.

 _The daughter of my meal, perhaps? She looks to be still in her first decade._

 _They are best when young. Soft, tender flesh, easy to tear through and much more flavorful._

 _This one was young as well. Late twenties, if I had to guess._

 _You haven't eaten a child yet._ I heard a strange edge in his voice. _I'm thinking you should try it…_

 _I'm all set, thank you._

 _Suit yourself._

 _You're the one in a tux._

I got up and leaned against a tree, getting a better look at the young girl. She had to be four or five, and she carried a small stuffed panda with her. She saw my glowing eyes through the darkness, but it didn't spook her. I turned and walked into the forest, toward my home so I could read the book to Shadow. I heard a scream of pain and terror soon after, knowing she had followed me but had been caught by Slenderman.


	5. Chapter 5

***Here we go... a chapter with an extra 2,730 words. Trust me, it was needed... and for those of you who want to flame me, go read the nice guest review... (Guest, you know who you are. Your review really touched my heart.) Enjoy!***

* * *

It had been two months since Christmas. Being left alone with only Shadow or Darkness for so long made me think something was up. Darkness had given me the ability to take on my second form again, which I was grateful for. While Shadow continued to entertain me by batting at a feathered toy, a presence I knew well appeared near my door. I got up and went to open the door for him, looking up at his faceless head.

"Come in, Slenderman. It's been a while."

"You're happy."

He teleported into my small home as I closed the door and went back to playing with Shadow. I noticed my companion's indigo eyes glance up at Slenderman, his fur immediately bristling. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Slenderman's tentacles were poised to strike, moving ever so slightly.

"It's been a while, you said. Shall we?"

"You do realize I've had two months or so since we last did this," I said, standing and tossing Shadow's toy to the floor. "I've improved quite a bit."

"No matter. It is bound to happen eventually, isn't it?"

I grinned, teleporting outside with him to the clearing his small house was in. I looked over at it, he had expanded. Now, a mansion stood, and several presences were inside it.

"Wow, you've done some renovation… and gathered more like Jane, Jeff, and Jack, if I'm making a correct assumption."

"As it turns out, they were always out there. I just had to locate them. While it is my mansion, the only new ones are Sally and Eyeless Jack."

"I'd like to meet them after this, if you're alright with that."

"What are you waiting for, then?"

* * *

I was once more defeated. I saw Slenderman was recovering quickly as I stood near my dead body, a ghost.

 _I was closer to defeating you this time._

 _You were. You've improved, like you said._

 _Y'know, when we first met, I thought you'd be just killing me for fun, or just torturing me by chasing me everywhere. Never thought we'd be…_

 _Friends? It was unlikely. I did not believe it when I first thought of you as being my friend, but we have enough in common. Let's not make a big deal of it, we are friends. Now, would you pull yourself together so we may go?_

I repaired myself, healing nearly instantly and eating to fill my empty stomach.

"You always do that, I have noticed."

"What do I do?"

"Whenever you're injured, you eat gems and metallic materials."

"I eat those because it is part of my natural diet. If I were to steal a necklace from a jewelry store, I'd more likely eat it than give it to someone. It also makes me heal faster than normal bandages and salves."

"You have quite the expensive diet."

He placed his hand on my head and I felt him teleport us into the mansion. I felt dizzy and was cross-eyed for a few moments, but he had already moved away from me. Once everything cleared up, I saw Jeff the Killer and Jane the Killer sitting on a sofa, Laughing Jack was playing with a young girl, and Slenderman was standing next to a sofa where a man dressed in all black with a blue mask and black hair was sitting, black tears leaking from the black eyes of the mask. The man with the blue mask also had ashen skin. I heard freakishly tall, pale, and faceless clear his throat, and everyone looked up. His head turned toward me and everyone looked my way. I waved shyly, a sideways smile sneaking onto my face.

"Endybrina! You're here!"

The little girl, who was in a pink dress, jumped up and ran over to me. She smiled up at me, clutching an old teddy bear to her small chest. Returning the smile, I sat back on my legs to be closer to her stature, and greeted her.

"Hello, little girl. What's your name?"

"I'm Sally, and this is Mr. T!"

She showed me her teddy bear, and I gingerly took it, looking at the old thing.

"Mr. T, you're in pretty bad shape, aren't you," I said, pretending the bear was alive. "Sally, if you'd like, I can make him look like new. Would you allow me to do so?"

"You talk so proper like Slendyman!"

"Well?"

"Yes, Mr. T wants to look like new too."

Using telekinesis, I held him in the air, Sally watching with big eyes. I used materialization to make the curly-furred teddy bear — as I had promised — look like it had just been bought. Its fading, patchy fur grew back silky and a comforting brown. Its pink nose returned, and any torn seams I fixed. Once the bear was back in proper condition, I held it out to her, taking a better look at her. Her eyes leaked blood slowly, as well as her head. I saw her take the bear from my hands, and I managed to force a smile, looking at her pale, peachy skin. I stood up, walking over to the man with the blue mask.

"Hello. I'm sure Slenderman has told you, but I am Enderbrina. May I know your name?"

"Eyeless Jack. You can call me EJ, and call the clown over there LJ. Prevents confusion."

I nodded, "Nice to meet you."

"Enderbrina," came Slenderman's silken voice, "why don't you show them the ability we have in common?"

All eyes were instantly on me again. My hand flew to my face, and I groaned softly. "Are you serious right now?"

"Do it."

I let my posture become relaxed, sighing. "Alright." I teleported next to Slenderman, glaring up at him, then teleported onto the sofa next to Laughing Jack. "Happy now? I mean, seriously, I can do some pretty cool things that you can't."

"Like what," Eyeless Jack asked me. "Slender is pretty great."

I smirked. "True… but can he fly?"

Silence came over the room. Grinning at Slenderman, I got up and walked toward the mansion doors, as they were close to the living room. Looking over my shoulder as I walked, I grew my wings and tail. Sally squealed and ran over to me, but I flicked my tail out of her reach before she could touch it.

"Ah-ah, not yet."

"Those wings couldn't possibly support you and keep you airborne."

I folded my wings, continuing walking, and stood outside the mansion, a quarter of the way into the clearing with the single tree. I felt all their presences behind me, and stretched my wings, Sally had followed me closely since I had grown the dragon-like wings and tail.

"Well, you going to try and fail flying, or what?"

"I've seen you fly before, so I believe you. If you can fight Slenderman, I'd believe it, even if I hadn't seen it," Jeff commented flatly.

"Jeff, did you really just say—"

"I can hold my own pretty well, too. I came close to beating him last time."

I flapped my wings, beating at the air, and my feet lifted from the ground. Higher and higher into the air I climbed, and was eventually soaring around above the clearing, feeling free as I flew about, swooping about. I folded my wings and angled myself head-first toward the ground. I heard Sally scream, and threw my wings out at the last sending, landing with a dull thump on the ground, on my feet.

"Can Mr. T and I fly with you next time!?"

I smiled, looking at Sally and her newly-restored teddy bear. "It might be too dangerous, Sally, but I will if Slenderman allows it. I'd be happy to show you."

She turned toward Slenderman, who gave the slightest of nods. I picked her up in a princess carry, spreading my wings once again.

"Hold on tight."

I jumped into the air, flying higher and higher, until we could see the city from the altitude we had. I hovered, keeping a firm grip on her.

"Wow, it's so pretty…"

"It's only because it's nighttime right now. I used to help them, how foolish I was."

"Are you going to live with us now?"

"I haven't thought about it, Sally. I might, but I might not."

We were silent for a bit. Then Sally shivered, turning her head to nuzzle me, her eyes closed tightly.

"Can we go back down? I'm scared, Endybrina."

"Alright, I'll get us down."

I slowed the flap of my wings, slowly dropping us closer to the ground, having Sally sit more upright in my arms. I set her on the ground gently, and looked at the others. The smell of fresh blood reached my nose, and I saw a dead, bloody body in the shadows where Sally was unable to see it, but I could smell it easily. I looked at Slenderman, growled, and teleported into the dark of the forest. A scream flew from my mouth as I took on my second form, out of pure rage that he wanted me to show the deadly monster that lived inside me. When I calmed down, I sighed, and went over to the dead body. It wasn't Garry, thankfully. It was futile; I took a deep breath of the bloody scent, my head growing fuzzy as it was nearly overwhelming. I felt my crazed side surface, and suddenly my vision was much sharper.

* * *

 _Wake up…_

 _Wake up._

 _Wake up!_

I sat up quickly, gasping, and found myself on a sofa in Slenderman's living room. Looking around, everyone was accounted for, except for Slenderman himself.

"Where is he," I demanded. "Tell me."

"Recovering, just as you have been, for the last week."

"He just woke up, actually," Eyeless Jack said, coming down the stairs. "Oh, good, she's awake. He wants to talk to you in his office as soon as possible."

I moved to stand, but was stopped by Laughing Jack. His clawed hand kept me sitting.

"Your leg."

I looked down, it was wrapped up and the bandanges were stained purple. Disappointed, I sat back in the sofa, eating some gems, gold, and steel. I felt the wound heal, and stood up without difficulty, though my leg was still sore. Eyeless Jack led me up to Slenderman's office, and I opened the doors after knocking, knowing he was expecting me.

"Ah, you're awake."

"My leg is still sore…"

"Come in and sit. Eyeless Jack, would you mind keeping everyone, including yourself, away from here? I wish to speak privately with our… _guest."_

"Sure thing."

The door closed, and I looked at Slenderman, silent.

"I'd call our last fight a draw, wouldn't you?"

"Did one of us die?"

"No, but we were both unconscious for roughly the same amount of time. We were evenly matched, and we passed out from blood loss."

"What color is it?"

"Pardon?"

"What color is your blood?"

"Black."

"I don't remember our fight. I wish I could remember it… it must have been rough."

"You put up a good fight, but I could tell you were at your limit. I, however, was holding back."

"Still holding back… but, I did manage to get us to a draw."

"I'm sure you're not satisfied."

"No, I'm not." I sighed. "If you need me, I'll be in _my_ house. I doubt I'll fit in here, especially after showing everyone I can fly, when you can't."

I stood up, and teleported to my little home. Shadow meowed, greeting me. Instantly, I materialized a pile of tuna for him. He looked at it for a moment, then began eating.

"I'm sorry I was away for so long, Shadow. Slenderman and I had another fight, both of us passing out from blood loss. We were unconscious for a week… strangely enough." I heard a meow as he kept eating, finishing all the tuna. "Wow, don't throw up on me now. You might feel sick."

He purred, rubbing against my legs.

 _I hope you'll go outside if you feel the need to throw up._

 _I will._

I chuckled and he hopped up onto the sofa, laying next to me as I lit up the fireplace. I heard a knock at my door, and opened the door slightly. I could see Jeff there, surprisingly. I let him come in, materializing one of my iron plated swords in case he decided to attack. His piercing blue eyes locked onto me, a scowl pulling at his cut smile.

"What's up?"

"I wanted to get away from tall and faceless."

"Don't forget pale. His skin puts puffy clouds to shame."

"At least mine still retains some color."

"It's from living in the dark forest all the time."

"So how are you not gray at this point?"

"My skin's color comes from my diet, not the amount of sunlight I get."

"That's freaky."

"Says the one with a self-cut smile."

He laughed. I laughed too, and invited him to sit down, pulling Shadow onto my lap.

"So… what did you do to Jane? How'd you get her to join you?"

"It was simple, really. Mortally wound her husband, tell her where I live and how she'll always be safe with me, and kiss her right in front of her dying husband. She smiled, falling for my charms, and joined me. Anyway, you got a nice home here. What was that, the thing you did to Sally's bear?"

I held out my hand and materialized a knife, particularly a smooth, sharp kitchen knife. Holding it out to him, he took it.

"Materialization. I don't suppose you're hungry?"

"Everyone at the mansion, except Sally, is always hungry."

"You're not at the mansion."

"I mean who lives there, idiot."

I materialized a plate of food, containing a steak, roasted vegetables, and a glass of apple juice floating in the air.

"Impressive, you're fast."

"That didn't exist until just now."

"What?"

"I made the food and apple juice you're now holding from thin air. Go ahead and eat."

I tuned him out, turning to my memories until I heard him cackling. He was no longer sitting at the other end of my sofa. Instead, he was looking up at Slenderman. I realized Jeff was distracting him, thinking — though it was unfair — this could be my chance. Silencing my thoughts, I gripped my sword, teleported behind him, and swung. His tentacles had caught me, my sword's edge a hair's breadth from his side.

"DAMNIT!"

"Never took you as one to play unfairly, Enderbrina."

"Let me go!"

The tentacles unraveled from me and I backed up. Growing my wings and tail, I flew off, into the trees where I could see my house, waiting for them to leave. Eventually, they both moved in, and I could see Shadow was making his way outside. I pushed him back into the house slowly with telekinesis, and he got the idea. Growling to myself, I made my way through the trees towards my house, still keeping an eye on the two in my home. I was close enough to hear them.

"Stupid bitch. She should know she can't beat you, Slender."

"I find her persistence amusing, Jeffrey. You should feel lucky it is not you she wants to kill."

"When are you going to tell her about how untouchable you really are? I don't think she knows you were actually awake the whole week she was out."

"Next time I meet her, she will know."

I saw Jeff get up and leave, dimming the glow of my eyes as he went by the tree I was in. Slenderman was waiting behind the trees. Once Jeff was out of earshot, he spoke.

"How much did you hear, Enderbrina?"

"Enough to know that you were lying about being unconscious."

"Did you really believe you could defeat me?"

"I did, but not anymore."

"My offer still stands if you wish to live with the others. I made sure there were enough rooms besides my own to hold one person each."

"I'll think about it."

I went into my home, collecting Shadow's toys and dematerializing them, and patting Shadow before telling him we had to leave. He mewled, obviously sad about leaving, but climbed into my arms and pressed against me. When I stepped out, the small home was no longer useful. I made sure to dematerialize it, not planning on using it ever again. It could be converted to food if I so desired. Folding my wings behind my back, I looked over to Slenderman, staring at me from the edge of the darkness. It was a bit unsettling, so I stood in place until he was gone, and not directly behind me. It was difficult not to look over my shoulder, thinking he was there even though it was just the feeling that his forest gave off.

"Hey! 'Brina!"

I looked up at Jeff's voice calling my shortened name. Sighing, I saw him with his huge grin, meaning he had likely just killed someone.

"What, Jeff," I snapped. "I'm not in the mood for jokes or games, so tell me outright."

"Slends told me you heard me and him talking in your house, and that its also gone now."

"You heard correct."

"You gonna move in with us?"

"I haven't determined if I will yet. There will be better chance of that happening if I'm left alone to think about it."

I continued walking, not listening to what he said next, hugging Shadow closer to my chest. I took off into the air, wanting to feel the freedom of flying.

 _Shadow, don't look down, okay? Just keep your eyes shut._

 _Why?_

 _We're flying._

 _Why can't I see!? I've always wanted to see what the world looks like. I've seen you in the air before, flying around._

 _We're very high up right now. Normally I would fly lower, but the wind up here lets me glide mostly._

I saw Shadow's indigo eyes open, looking at me briefly before looking down at the ground below us. I kept a firm grip on him with telekinesis, not wanting to drop him.

 _Enderbrina… this is amazing. Why did you never take me with you before?_

 _I was afraid of dropping you._

I heard a mental laugh. I smiled, hovering, and Shadow purred, pressing the top of his head to my chest.

 _I love you, Shadow._

 _You love me?_

 _You're my best friend. I'll be sad when I lose you, but I'll cherish the memories I'll have of you._

 _I'm not going to die anytime soon, Enderbrina. You're silly…_

 _What do you mean?_

 _I'm still almost a kitten._

 _I know._

I landed on a road that led into the city, and looked back at the forest. Headlights blinded me, and I managed to teleport into the forest. I felt Slenderman's presence nearby, and I gave up.

"I won't fit in in the human city," I said aloud, letting him know I knew he was there. "I'd be better off going to your mansion and living there."

I felt his hand on my shoulder, and suddenly we were in a fully furnished room. Shadow seemed sick from the teleportation, and I put him down.

"You'll find all accommodations you may need are in this room or its side rooms. Get settled, then sleep. I expect you to meet with everyone in the parlor tomorrow morning."

"Thanks…"

I went about exploring my room. There was indeed everything I needed, but no kitchen. Shadow looked up at me, then my new bed. Surprisingly, it was queen-sized, and I hopped up onto it, inviting Shadow up as well.

 _So this is our new home?_

 _Yeah… it is. I guess we owe Slenderman one for taking us in. You better be careful now, okay?_

 _I can run faster than any of the ones that live here._

A knock on my door made us both look up.

"Come in."

I saw Eyeless Jack open the door. Once he stepped into the room, I could feel a glare on me.

"What's up?"

"Can you really fight Slender?"

"I can fight him but I've never really come close to defeating him. One day I'm going to demand he doesn't hold back and get a real fight out of him, and gauge his strength from there. I bet he's just as powerful as I used to be… wouldn't that be something."

"So you're in a weakened state?"

"Coming here, though I don't know how I did, nearly killed me. Well, that is, if I was mortal. I had some of my abilities, but they're weakening with time. My materialization doesn't work as easily as it used to. If I create items from thin air with it, it uses energy now. I can't fly anymore unless I use my wings."

"Open book much?"

"What have I got to lose?"

"Sally really likes you."

"Does she? That's good, she's cute."

"It'll be her birthday soon."

"Hmm… I'll have to ask her what she wants."

"Just gonna ask her?"

"Of course. By the way, I did something nice for her when I arrived. Is there anything you'd like me to do for you?"

"I'd love to eat a kidney."

I sat up like I had been slapped. "What?"

"I'm a cannibal," he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Interesting… actually… I have the perfect idea for you. Wait here, I'll be right back."

I teleported to an alley, grabbed a thug, and teleported him back with me to my room before killing him.

"There you are, fresh meat, but... take it from my room. We don't need me going crazy again."

I pushed the corpse to him, and he dragged it out of my room. I waited until he was gone to breathe again, the scent of blood now gone. I laid back down on my bed, Shadow was curled up and asleep. I moved slowly so I wouldn't wake him, and closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

I woke to Shadow prodding my face with his paw, his meows of hunger pulling me into the waking world. I groaned, and sat up, looking at him. He was standing beside me, his indigo eyes fixed on my face.

"Okay, I'm up," I said, sitting and stretching. "How about some salmon with your tuna today?"

I materialized said fish into a bowl for him, then got up after he gave me a purr of thanks. After heading out of my room, I made my way sleepily to the "parlor," as Slenderman had called it. I didn't feel his presence there, but then again, I didn't feel anyone's presence there, except for Sally. I greeted her, sitting back on my legs as I was attacked with a hug. She looked at a board game she had been setting up, and sat with it between us.

"Will you play a game with me?"

"Of course, Sally."

I teleported closer to the board game, sitting opposite of her. I let her keep playing with me until everyone gathered, which didn't take long as it was morning anyway. Scooting away, I sat on the three-seater sofa, which Laughing Jack was sitting on as well, calling Sally to sit with him. I looked around at everyone, Jeff was using throwing knives and tossing them into small chips in the wood of the fireplace. I remembered the night when he and an elf-like person had attacked me.

"Hey, Jeff."

"What do you want?"

"Well, I just remembered that you and a black-eyed elf attacked me when I was still in the city. Who was that?"

"An elf? Bitch, you were seeing things, there was no _elf_ with me."

"Okay first off, don't call me that. Second, I don't hallucinate, so tell me or this could get ugly."

Jeff scoffed, and a throwing knife headed straight for my face, but I caught it, and returned it even faster, aiming for his bicep. It hit, and he growled.

"What the hell! I already told you, there was no elf with me!"

"What is this I am hearing about an elf?"

I looked up, Slenderman was walking down a flight of stairs. Quickly explaining the situation, I saw him nod in understanding. He left, just teleporting out. Everything was silent for a moment, until Eyeless Jack spoke up.

"So, Enderbrina. Where are you from?"

"From what I've learned, a video game called Minecraft. Looks blocky from this world, but it looked just like this world when I was there. It was my home, until I was put here. I don't know _how_ I got here, so don't ask."

"Since hearing about you fighting Slender, I've been wondering about just how well you fight, and since Jeff is upset with you, maybe you could show me, Jane, and LJ?"

"You mean… spar with Jeff?"

"Yeah. I mean, when we saw you go crazy, we all kept out of Slenderman's way. We heard you yelling and screaming, but other than that, we don't know what happened."

"Then I'd gladly show you… I've been itching for a decent fight ever since I was out for a week. You could have told me prior, you know, that Slenderman was not unconscious like I was."

I stood up, and motioned for them to follow me. I felt Sally stay behind, but move over to the window where she could still see us. Once outside, Jeff got a cheap shot with a throwing knife, nearly killing me. I growled and pulled the knife out, and eyed Jeff, an idea popping into my head so suddenly I nearly laughed. I smirked at him, and took a bite out of the metal blade still dripping with my blood. As I swallowed the steel, I felt the wound in the back of my neck heal some, and promptly ate the rest of the metal, tossing the handle of the knife back to him.

"Try doing some damage with that."

Pulling my swords from my dematerialized storage, I held them, waiting, ready to spar. I knew Jeff would be fighting for real, but I considered it sparring as I had no intention of killing him.

"Ladies first," he growled, everyone backing up a step, keeping close to the mansion.

"You sure you want that, Jeff?"

"Fight me!"

I ran at him, swinging for his torso, where he was most vulnerable. His knife came down, and I teleporting behind him, promptly digging my sword into his shoulder. I felt his knife cut into my thigh, and hopped back. I saw the glint of metal and my senses began to sharpen from the thrill of battle. As his knife was swinging in, I leaned at it and bit into it, nearly getting my face cut like his in the process.

"Fuck! That was my favorite knife!"

I pointed the tip of my sword at his throat, grinning. I saw him back up, and whip out another knife from his boot, snarling as he ran at me. I let out my battle cry, making everyone hold their head in pain. Jeff crumbled, on his knees, his knife dropped. I picked it up, and held the back of his head by his hair, which was longer than usual. I let the cold metal press against his throat, keeping him still.

"Give up," I asked sweetly.

"Never," he growled.

"It's just a sparring match. Nothing to be ashamed of if you lose… but you might lose more than your pride if you keep up this act."

"You wouldn't dare."

I pressed the knife to his Adam's apple, drawing just a speck of blood. "Try me."

"Okay, okay! Fine. You win."

I kicked his face into the dirt and moved away from him. Tossing his knife beside him, Jeff growled as he got up, then nodded to me before heading off into the mansion. I released a breath I didn't know I had been holding, and chuckled.

"He's good, I'll admit. Plenty of experience in that one."

"Where did you learn all that?"

"Most of my battle experience comes from my time as a goddess. Being here, Darkness taught me new ways of fighting, different moves and techniques, and styles, even."

"Darkness? _The_ Darkness, _and_ you're a goddess?"

 _That's me,_ Darkness said.

"I don't see myself as a goddess any longer. With time, as I've said, my abilities are changing. I'm being pulled down to lower stature."

"Is Jeff going to be okay?"

"What do you mean?"

Eyeless Jack and Laughing Jack walked back with me into the mansion, Jane following us. They explained that Jeff's ego as second best Creepypasta of the mansion had been crushed by me.

"Woah-woah-woah, wait. Creepy… pasta? Pasta that's supposed to be creepy?"

"No, we're all Creepypastas. Once you live here, you're a Creepypasta. Well, except for you. You didn't die, wake up to uh… _him_ , and come back after a traumatizing death."

"Now I'm even more confused," I complained, sitting down on the sofa after growing my wings and tail. "So, a Creepypasta is someone who had a traumatizing death, wakes up to _him,_ I don't even know who _him_ is, and comes back immortal-until-killed, with some sort of backstory that explains why they have to take on the world and kill all humans?"

"You got it, sweets," LJ cackled.

"LJ, how do you kill?"

"I kill children. Nail 'em to a wall and watch 'em scream after feeding them poisonous candy, its real fun to watch 'em cry. But, you're one of us, so any candy _you_ get from me is safe. What's your favorite, lollipop?"

"Um… candy? I don't know… I've never had candy before, I've only seen others eat it."

"Try them all, then!"

He held out a rainbow assortment of hard candies, and I nervously took a yellow one that looked like gold in candy form. I knew they were candy, so it was sweet, right? Popping it in my mouth, it was slightly sour, like a lemon. The sourness soon went away and it turned sweet. Most of the other candies were sweet, except for one LJ called "green apple flavored."

"Well? Got a favorite?"

"The orange one."

"I'll remember! See ya later!"

He got up and ran out the door, a wild laugh was all I heard before he was out of the forest and heading toward the city. I felt a small hand on my tail and jumped, seeing Sally rubbing the end of it. I watched her fondly, the blood on her face and head no longer bothering me. I already knew EJ was a cannibal, so I could imagine more than a few ways he killed. Jeff and Jane, however, I had experienced firsthand how they killed, as well as Slenderman.

"Where's Slenderman," I wondered aloud. "He's been gone a while. Still in the city."

"Still? Can you tell what he's doing?"

"Not much… let me focus a bit and I might be able to figure out if he's distracted or something."

I focused all I could on Slenderman's presence, connecting telepathically with him.

 _Why have you been—_

 _SHUT UP!_

I retreated, surprise obvious on my face.

"He's quite angry. What could make him so mad?"

"Weird. Maybe he found another Creepypasta?"

"That's plausible, Jeff said there was no elf with him when he attacked me but I know I wasn't seeing things. Maybe I should go check on him, see if I can help. I owe him one anyway for letting me stay here."

I stood up and teleported near Slenderman's presence. It was nighttime, and I saw water coming from the alleyway he was in. Cautiously, I approached, feeling uncomfortable so close to the water. It licked at the bottom of my shoes, so instead of walking through the small stream I jumped up into the air and hovered above Slenderman. His tentacles were whipping about, holding off none other than the elf. The bloody irises looked up at me, and a jolt of electricity ran through me. I was surprised, but not hurt. I felt the energy coursing through me. Moving a bit closer, I saw water was dripping from the elf.

 _Who the hell is this guy!?_

 _He said his name was Ben Drowned, it must have been_ him _who sent him to this alley._

 _He's been here for a couple months, yet hasn't killed anyone?_

 _It was likely he was in another city for the months between now and when you first saw him._

 _You're much calmer than when I tried reaching out to you. Did distance have something to do with that?_

 _It did. You nearly made me lose my focus by prying your way into a shared thought space between us at such an extensive distance._

 _Oh. I'll keep that in mind. Want me to hold him in place with telekinesis?_

 _If it wouldn't be any trouble, that would be very convenient._

I focused on the elf Slenderman had named as Ben Drowned, and tried tying his feet to the ground but he moved despite my holds. A ghost!?

 _Fucking perfect, he's a ghost._

 _Your telekinesis does not work then, I presume._

 _If I had my ability of soul manipulation, I'd be able to tame him a little better but my power gets close to that before Darkness takes it away again._

I heard a mental chuckle. _Tame him, you say? He is not a wild animal._

 _He is acting like one._

I saw the bloody irises were now focused on me, the elf no longer fighting. His gaze bore into me much like the faceless one of Slenderman. I waited, slowly hovering lower, until I could sit in the lowest windowsill and folded my wings as I let my tail dangle off the side from behind me. Then, surprising me, the elf actually spoke.

"No way," he said. His voice sounded like it was coming through a computer. "I've seen you before."

"You have?"

"Sorry about the water… got a bit carried away."

I went silent at that, glaring at the elf. "Well listen, elf—"

"Do NOT call me elf. You'll be sorry."

"What are you gonna do, possess me? I've had that happen before. I can resist it."

Slenderman had left, likely back to his mansion where he was explaining what was happening. I glanced at the rising sun, then back at Ben.

"Alright, Ben… obviously, you know me, but what I don't know is _how_ you know me."

"Saw you in the newspapers. You were all over the world at one point until something happened. I don't know exactly what did but I'm betting pale and bald had something to do with it. I recognize you, but from where I can't remember."

"Hmm… perhaps from a game called Minecraft?"

"Yeah! That's where I know you from! You look like those— oh… and you look like…"

His speech halted, and I sighed. "Yes, my name is Enderbrina, but I'm not nearly as powerful as I used to be. I miss my true home…" My voice broke at that last sentence, along with my heart. "Come on, we should be going. You should follow me as best as you can."

I did my best not to cry. I was supposed to be strong, but right now I was anything but that. I left Ben in the living room with everyone else and fled to my room to be alone. My silent sobs filled the room with little squeaks and shaky exhales. I heard a knock on the door, feeling the presence before saying anything. It was Eyeless Jack. Wiping away my mercury tears, I told him to come in.

"Enderbrina, everyone is waiting for you."

"I'm not leaving my room right now, EJ."

"Slenderman told me to come get you, though. I didn't wanna make him mad."

"Fine, tell him I'll be there in a moment…"

He closed the door, and I heard him walk away. I took a few moments to collect myself and make it look like I hadn't been crying, then teleported to my usual spot on the sofa, looking completely relaxed. As I still had my wings and tail, I let Sally look at my tail while I stared back at Slenderman. Feeling a pinch in my tail, I winced and looked at Sally. One of the scales had fallen off my tail.

"Um… it fell out on its own."

"That will happen. A new one will grow in its place. You may keep that if you like."

LJ plucked it from her hands as she marveled at it, a small whine coming from her as he looked at it himself. When he passed it back to her, she looked at the glittering purple scale as Slenderman introduced Ben, whose bloody eyes never left me; I noticed his eyes leaked blood slowly much like Sally's eyes. His eyes were sunken and his skin was a sickly yellowish color. He had an empty sheath at his side, much unlike my own, but I gave him a polite hello when Slenderman mentioned me. Sally asked for more scales, but I told her that my tail would begin dropping them on its own soon enough, and whenever she found them, she could have them. I kept a promise to myself to collect any of my molted scales for her, and remembered her birthday was tomorrow. I smiled, thinking of something that she might like. Another stuffed toy, perhaps? Maybe she would want to fly with me again, but she could do that any day I was feeling up to it.

"I expect everyone except Ben to get a nice gift for Sally's birthday tomorrow, especially you, Night Hunter."

I nodded, retreating into thought.

 _I wonder what she likes… pink, obviously, and purple. I like purple too, heh… I wonder if she'd like a stuffed unicorn thats pink, white and purple? Hmmm…_

I teleported to my room, still thinking, and decided the stuffed unicorn would be good. I began using anything non-precious stored away in my dematerialized space to make it, the atoms re-arranging to become soft, fluffy material and two soft, stitched-in eyes. I had wished to give it a bit of life, but that would taint it if I gave it the wrong bit of my soul. Deciding it was good as it was, I wrote on a tag: "To Sally, for her birthday," slipped it onto the ear with some string, and dematerialized it away, safe and sound for the following morning. Tired from all the stress of the day, I slipped off into slumber. My dream was of Sally playing with her new stuffed unicorn, the others trying to give her dangerous "toys," like knives and dynamite and matches. She ignored them in the dream, and smiled at me, hugging my leg. It brought me joy. I was woken by Ben shaking me, and I woke up quickly, pointing my sword at him before I realized who it was. I shoved my sword away into its sheath and glowered at him.

"What did you get her!? Where is it!?"

"You'll see when its time for presents. I didn't exactly know what to get, so I hope she'll like it. Wait, why are you even here?"

"Slender said we'd be good friends, since we both have a problem with water."

"Okay… well, you go ahead without me. I'll be down in just a few minutes."

Ben promptly left, simply walking _through_ my door, reminding me he was a ghost. I fed Shadow, leaving him plenty of dry food to munch on in case he got hungry while I was gone. I had managed to steal a fancy electric water bowl that kept the water running so it would stay fresh longer. Shadow butted his head to my shin in thanks before I went into my closet, seeing I had nothing nice to wear. Frowning, I began using some of the items I had to materialize some outfits for myself, but nothing special. I finished with three dresses. One that was a forest green with a flared skirt that went down to my ankles, one that was fully purple with sequins on the shoulders that went to my knees, and an all-black dress that went to my ankles as well, but looked as if it was made of scales. Making sure all of them had a place for my wings, as my tail could stay beneath, I picked the purple one. I pulled on some simple black dress pumps with low heels, as I felt I was tall enough already. Finally, I was ready to see everyone, especially Sally. I teleported out of my room and began a brisk pace to see everyone was outside. I made sure to have my wings and tail grown, knowing Sally enjoyed them.

"Ah, there you are, Enderbrina. I was wondering when you'd join us."

I saw Slenderman in his usual tuxedo, but he seemed more easygoing than usual. I gave him a smile, and looked at the party he had set up for Sally. Everything was pink, even the tent over the food, which looked freshly prepared. Sally was playing with LJ, as usual, but EJ was also playing with her, I could see a board game. They were using tweezers of some sort to pull out white pieces of plastic. A buzzer went off, making Sally jump, but she laughed. I stood beside Slenderman, being sure not to get to close.

"You should have asked me for help with the food. I may not be the most skilled chef but I can follow instructions," I said quietly.

"Go have fun," he replied evenly, "you need it after what you've been through."

"Where do I put her present?"

"On the table with all the other presents, of course. You did wrap it, didn't you?"

"Hmm… it will have to wait, I didn't wrap it."

Ben had some sort of device in his hands, and Jeff and Jane were busy eating, so I went over to Sally, LJ, and EJ. I found out the game they were playing was some sort of operating game, and I knew then why EJ was playing. I watched for a while until they finished and noticed me. I gave up a small smile, still a bit nervous around the ones I lived with.

"Hey, sweets!"

"Hi, LJ, EJ. Happy birthday, Sally."

She hugged me, smiling widely. "Hi, Endybrina! Did you get me a gift like Slendyman said!?"

"I did, but you'll have to wait to see it. I didn't think about wrapping it, so I'll give it to you whenever you like during the time you open your presents, okay?"

"Okay!"

She left me with Eyeless Jack and Laughing Jack, who had pushed aside the board game and were talking. I wasn't a very social person, so I took a plate from the table that was filled with a feast fit for twenty, when there was only the eight of us. I suspected Slenderman wanted leftovers, but I helped myself anyway, not taking very much, as I wanted to try every dish that had been cooked. I found a more secluded seat, just three chairs away from Jane and Jeff, who were sitting across from one another. I found a wine glass filled with dark red wine in front of me suddenly, Slenderman standing behind me. Finding his closeness odd, I focused on eating my meal. Instead of being able to do that, I found memories flashing in my mind, and realized what he was doing, but was unable to fight it. Many memories flashed by, leaving me feeling drained afterward. A mental connection between us was established by him, but I was the first to speak.

 _What the fuck was that for!?_

 _You have an interesting life. I must admit I am intrigued. You'll have to tell me more about yourself sometime._

Once it was time for presents, Sally began opening her gifts. LJ had gotten her a large gummy bear made up of smaller gummy bears. EJ had gotten her the Operation game, but she had opened it before so she would have something to do until she got hungry. Jeff and Jane had gotten her a dollhouse, Slenderman had gotten her dolls to fill the house. When it came time for me to give her the gift I had gotten, I pulled it from my dematerialized storage, its pink and purple and white body making Sally's eyes grow round. I held it out to her, smiling, and she hugged it to herself, jumping with excitement.

"I love unicorns!"

 _Most young girls do,_ I thought. "I'm glad you do, I worked hard on making that."

"You made this!?"

"Of course, I wanted to make sure I got a good present for you."

Cake and ice cream went by quickly, and the day was soon over. I could hear Sally squealing with excitement as she played with her toys, her room was just next to mine. It seemed Slenderman was in her room at one point, and her squeals died down, her presence becoming still and calm. I had already changed into some pajamas, but felt Slenderman's presence in my room before long. Without looking up, I spoke.

"What do you need me for, this time?"

"Do you really think I would let you get away with such disrespect for so long?"

"What am I, your servant now?"

"No, however you are a resident of _my_ mansion, this is no longer your little house you made. Show some respect to me. After all, I could just as easily make you leave as I did with welcoming you here."

I was ready to lunge at him, but I froze. A large presence had caught my attention. It felt much stronger than even Slenderman's presence; I looked up at him.

"Do you feel that," I asked.

"What?"

"There's… such a strong presence… I don't recognize it."

I was afraid of the unknown being, and pulled the covers over myself, covering my head. Slenderman left, moving toward the large presence as I cowered beneath the sheets of my bed. Shadow managed to wiggle beneath and cuddled up to me, trying to make me feel better. Slenderman's presence was suddenly moving quickly, through the air!? Something was attacking him, and winning! I teleported outside, still afraid, but I didn't see Slenderman, he was in the forest now.

Something far more terrifying stood before me.


	6. Chapter 6

***Wow! It took a long time to update this. ;-; Sorry for those of you who keep up with the story and read as soon as I update, but thank you for keeping up with the story! Well, that's all for now. Onto the chapter!***

* * *

The monstrous thing stared at me with bright blue eyes. I could see its calm gaze on me. It had black and red skin, the black in vein-like patters on the red. Two horns adorned the top of its head. It was lean, humanoid, and certainly didn't look strong, but something so powerful could not be weak. Six mouths smiled at me out of nowhere, and I took note of the sharp, interlocking teeth. With one where a normal mouth would be, two mouths on each of its arms, one mouth on its chest and one on its stomach, it was truly terrifying.

"Well hello, newcomer," it said, six voices mixing to make a demon's voice. When I wasn't responding, a laugh that sounded like a saw cutting metal reached my ears. "You don't need to be so afraid. I'm not here to hurt you. What's your name?"

"My n-name is Enderbrina."

"I am Zalgo," it said.

When I didn't move, Zalgo took my hand and kissed the back of it. The politeness of Zalgo's actions were surprising. A smile pulled at the corners of my mouth, but my fear kept me in check. I looked around for Slenderman, and felt his presence in the trees, motionless but afraid. He was afraid of Zalgo?

"Yes, he is afraid of me. I am one of the few beings who can defeat him in this world. I came here to ask you a few questions, if that's alright."

"U-um… yeah, I'll answer if I can."

"How did you get here?"

"I don't know."

"Who are you?"

"Well… when I was still in my native home, I was the goddess of my realm, now I'm… a weak immortal living with… Creepypastas."

"A goddess? You must have been quite powerful, much more so than you are now."

I nodded. "I'm happy with what I have now, though."

"What if I promised you'd regain all that power by joining me?"

I was shocked. Was this a trick? It could be… but I was willing to take a risk. I nodded again, going to reach for Zalgo's outstretched hand, but was stopped by a tuxedo. I looked up; Slenderman moved so he was more eye-level with me, and I could tell he was serious.

"If you go with him, we will be enemies once more, and nobody at my mansion will ever accept you again. Stay if you do not wish for that to happen." That was a bit out of character, but I mentally shrugged it off.

I backed up, looking at the two of them. Finally, I spoke to Zalgo. "I need some time to think it over. It's… a lot to decide right away. I was too hasty."

Zalgo's six grins told me he knew what my answer would be. Then, fire consumed him and he was gone, yet there were no burn marks. I wondered if Slenderman had stopped me for any other reason than me leaving so we wouldn't be enemies. Upon receiving no answer, I teleported into my room in his mansion, and settled down under the blankets. Shadow laid beside me and sleep soon took me.

I was back in the forest. Instantly, I knew I was dreaming as I saw myself talking to Zalgo, then reach out to his hand before Slenderman stopped me. Persistent, not-me stepped around Slenderman and went with Zalgo. Years passed, and she returned to the mansion. It was full of Creepypastas in the dream, but they were just silhouettes, as the ones I didn't know yet shouldn't be seen. Even as she got close, I could feel the apprehension and Slenderman's gaze on her as not-me walked in, confident. I could tell she had grown in power and her stance was off, as if she knew what she was doing. Not-me took in the new Creepypastas as Slenderman walked down the stairs. A few words were exchanged, but she seemed ready to strike the entire time. When she turned to walk down the corridor, I saw more mouths on her face. I woke, gasping in fear. Slenderman was in my room, and I gulped as I looked at him, but not meeting his invisible gaze.

"You understand why I stopped you, correct?"

"I do now… Zalgo can go to hell for all I care."

"He lives there."

"Well then he can go to what his version of hell would be," I said, gesturing vaguely. "I'm staying here."

Poof, he was gone. I groaned, putting my face in my hands. Shadow meowed at me, and I gave him some food, sitting up in my bed as I did so. I was running out of convertible items to use for materialization, and decided to go search old abandoned houses for the day. Once Shadow was safely outside, with a cat flap to let him in and out easily, I took off toward the city. One old abandoned house was still standing, but seemed ready to collapse. I wondered if anything of value was inside as I crossed through the doorway. A creak got my attention, and I was quickly on high alert, but made sure I seemed off guard.

"Must be deaf," I heard an unfamiliar voice say quietly.

"Has to be. They didn't hear you," another voice said.

"Great hideout, by the way," the first voice said. At this point I was listening more intently to them; they both seemed to be male voices. "Plenty of people to rob and kill Looks like we got lucky though, its a woman this time. They've usually got plenty of valuables to sell on the black market."

I picked up an old dusty necklace, the soft glow from my white eyes throwing enough light to see it properly. Blowing the dust off it, I held the chain and bit into it. I heard the two voices start murmuring in surprise, but continued to walk through the house and found just small trinkets and minor furnishings. The two presences were distinguishable as one human, one… not so human. I grinned at the human's foolishness, and continued wandering the house. Acting deaf was not difficult; when I reached to top floor, I stopped in the center of the room. Drawing my swords, I looked directly at the two presences, throwing both of them off guard.

"I know you've been following me," I said into the darkness.

"Who are you?"

"You don't need to know."

I grinned, though they probably couldn't see it. I tried reaching out to Slenderman through mental connection, leaning against the wall to seem relaxed. I heard them take a few steps closer, but put up a large shield of telekinesis.

 _What is it? I am busy with—_

 _I may have found another Creepypasta._

 _I'll be there in a moment._

It took almost a half hour until Slenderman arrived. I looked up when he finally arrived.

 _Took you long enough. Can you distinguish who's who?_

 _Easily._

Sure enough, he teleported the non-human away. I felt my thoughts get fuzzy. I knew I was hungry, but so soon? I leapt at the human, pinning them and lopping off their head with my sword. I saw a soul float out from the body, leaving, to where it would rest for eternity. Once the body was mostly gone, I came down from my bloodlust high, and looked down at myself. I was covered in blood. _Hopefully this doesn't happen every time… but it seems there's less blood on me than last time._ After changing my clothes, I began dematerializing the old house. When I reached the bottom floor, I went into the garage and saw an old, dusty, rusty, green pickup truck there. I dematerialized the truck and garage as well, all the atoms condensing into my dematerialized storage. There was nothing left of the house, it was all mine now, to use how I pleased. I felt Zalgo's presence at the mansion, and teleported into the forest clearing, waiting. Slenderman watched but didn't do anything, I could feel his gaze watching me and Zalgo from the thicket of trees.

"Ah, Enderbrina. It's lovely to see you again. I'd like your answer, now."

"Well… while it would be wonderful to gain all my power back, I've already said I'm happy with what I have. I will be staying here, with Slenderman and the Creepypastas."

"A shame… you would have been a great co-ruler of Hell."

"I don't belong in Hell, nor this world, I belong in Minecraft. Unless I can go back there, I am out of place."

Zalgo's six voices laughed as he left. I felt a bony hand on my shoulder, and knew Slenderman was behind me.

"Good choice. Now, a thank-you gift." Well, that was odd. Why would he give me a gift just for saying no to Zalgo?

"I don't need anything from you."

"Just take it, Night Hunter."

Darkness rose up from the ground, forming a humanoid figure, and held out a clear orb to me that looked like glass. I went to take it, not knowing what it was, but as soon as I made contact with it, it was gone and I felt a rush of power. I turned around to face him, ready to fight. He had simply moved a few paces away, staring back at me.

"Why did you—"

"Zalgo promised you power. You were tempted even if you would become my enemy, and forfeit our alliance by doing so. You said no even though you wished to say yes, and so I wanted Darkness to give back some of the power it had been taking from you."

"Oh… well, thank you… I don't know what else to say. Thank you too, Darkness."

 _You're quite welcome. He made a good point that I was not helping you by taking your power away once it got to a certain point. I still will, but through good deeds for your friends, you'll earn a little back each time._

 _And with enough I might finally be able to go home…_

I looked up, Slenderman was gone. I took a moment to measure my new height of power. Surprisingly, my no-limits materialization was back, and my healing ability was as well. It wouldn't take energy to create things anymore, and for that I was glad; I could definitely help them with that in many ways. My healing would take nearly twice as much energy as usual, but I could still use it. Teleporting back to the living room, Sally was playing a board game with Laughing Jack. I went to sit on the sofa, but I noticed a small trail of glitter on it. As it turned out, it wasn't glitter, it was scales from my tail. Remembering the dragon-like appendage, I grew the wings that went with it first, then the tail itself. After collecting and storing the scales in my pockets, I wondered if my shapeshifting would ever return, as my wings and tail didn't require that; they were a part of me that I chose to have or not.

"Hey, Enderbrina. How was your day?"

"Hi, EJ. Slenderman convinced Darkness to give back some of my power. Now I can materialize freely again."

"Sounds like a good thing. How about we celebrate with a movie?"

"Only if it's a scary movie!"

"I heard movie! What are we watching," Jeff yelled from the doorway. "And why?"

I grinned, and materialized a brand-new knife, it was small and easily concealable. I tossed it to him, and made one for Jane as well. I was in a very giving mood after getting my materialization back. For LJ I materialized a giant lollipop, who sat back on the sofa, his sharp teeth breaking into the candy with ease. Distributing everyone's favorite candy and snack was easy, even when it came to Sally. Ben came in the room last and — as I now knew he liked video games — I materialized a sword made of crystals that looked like diamonds for him, making sure it would be light enough to handle.

"A movie night?"

I looked at Slenderman, who was standing next to me, as I was at the end of the sofa. "Yeah, I told EJ and he said we should celebrate."

He teleported away again.

"I always remember how annoying that is every time he does it."

"The internet calls it Slender-walking. While we don't know how his works, do you mind telling us how yours works?"

The previews on the movie disc were on. Ignoring the previews, I explained. "Well, I've heard that there are theories on the internet that we run super fast, but that doesn't explain the sound we make when we do teleport."

"I've never heard you make a sound when you teleport."

"Oh…"

"Don't worry, I know what she's talking about, EJ. Here, I'll put on a video," Ben helpfully added, looking at his computer screen. "Oh, and thanks for the sword. It's cool."

"At home they were much more amazing than you can imagine."

"I've seen you swing a sword before, but that was in-game. Oh, found it!" We listened to the sound.

"Huh, that's an odd sound."

"Right? So what really happens is we imagine a place we want to be, and quite literally, we appear there, gone from where we were before. The only reason I can remember this place is because as an immortal, so I remember everything. So that means from the time my long-term memory was able to store information, I've remembered every moment I've experienced. Granted, I wasn't a goddess right away… but that's a story for another time. Let's watch the movie."

I sat back, and looked up at the TV screen. I jumped a little at the scary parts, not used to horror movies. It was over too quickly, but I still found it enjoyable. I was still wide awake when I went to my room for the night, so I turned on the light and hopped into my bed, sitting up. Shadow looked at me, interested why I wasn't trying to sleep.

 _What are you doing? Don't you usually sleep at this time?_

 _Yes Shadow, that is the normal routine for me. I'm just not sleepy tonight._

I spent a while thinking about my previous home, wondering if I would ever have the courage to go back if I was ever given the option. I didn't notice Ben walk through my door right away, jumping when he cleared his throat.

"Oh, hey Ben."

"I couldn't sleep," he said sheepishly. "I was playing with the sword. Kinda heavy."

"I'll try to make it lighter," I said, taking the sword from him. I smiled, it was a lot less heavy than I thought it would be. "Seems I'm just physically stronger, Ben. You should work out more, noodle-arms."

"Haha, you're _so_ funny."

"I'm serious. I could help if you wanted. I mean, if you kill me, so be it. Just the water is my weakness, so try to go easy on that."

"Sure…"

"Why do you have water anyway, if you uh…"

"Drowned? It's a long story."

"We have all night," I offered, patting a spot on my bed beside me. "Come on, we're supposed to be buds. You can tell me."

* * *

It was nearly sunrise when Ben finished his story. I knew it was no tall tale, his expressions had been too real for it to be a bad dream or something like that. Just the way he looked as well was enough for me to believe it. He had been taken fishing with his father, but when they got out to the deepest part of the lake, his father pushed him overboard and held him under.

"You'd never guess what kind of family I came from. Heh… it's hard to believe given my evil disposition."

"Let's see… did your parents beat you?"

"Never."

"Did they abuse you mentally?"

"Nope. We all loved each other. However, malnourishment… does things to your body. I was bullied in school, though. People called me anorexic. I had a few friends, and they would give me their lunch food as they usually weren't hungry at lunch. Then one day, it all… stopped. If I sat with anyone at school, everyone would move away. I was treated awful. It wasn't until I started hearing footsteps behind me after school that I began to understand. I was being stalked, and nobody wanted to get too attached to me so they wouldn't be hurt by losing me. My parents became my only friends, and then… I was appointed to become goddess of The End. I didn't want it then… now, sometimes I find myself wishing I could go back."

"I wish I could do something. I'm pretty good with computers and use them to terrorize and travel, but… going into a program on one is something I've tried every possible way and haven't managed to do it, except for the Legend of Zelda, but that's different."

"It'll happen someday… I know it will, I just don't know when, nor where I'll go."

"Well, I guess we'll find out."

"Yeah…"

The sun was slowly making its way into the sky. Ben left me alone in my room, so I got up and went to the living room. The only other person up that early that day was Eyeless Jack, and his masked face turned toward me as I walked in and sat in my usual seat. I stared back at him.

"Hey."

"Good morning, EJ. Mind if I ask you a question?"

"Not at all, ask me."

"How do you see without eyes?"

"How do you see with eyes that have no irises or pupils, and that also glow?"

"I don't see the glow, for one, unless I'm looking in a mirror. Second, my irises and pupils are white like the rest of my eyes. So, you?"

" _His_ power."

"Zalgo?"

"How'd you find out about him?"

"Ever since I've appeared here it seems every last being wants to know about me. I hate all the attention now. Anyway, he approached me and told me I'd gain back all the power I once had if I joined him. I had a dream where I _did_ join him, years passed, and I came back to find many more Creepypastas occupied the mansion, though they were silhouettes, besides you guys that I know. When the dream moved to let me see myself, I had two more mouths, here, and here." I poked my cheeks, where my jaw hinged. "I woke to find Slenderman in my room and made my decision right there and then to stay."

"Not many can say no to Zalgo. You should consider yourself lucky he gave you a choice."

"I do consider myself lucky."

"So… what does it feel like to have wings and a tail?"

"They make me a slightly bigger target, but I can fly with them and my tail is an extra weapon."

"Sounds fun."

"You wanna go for a quick fly?" EJ went silent, I could tell he was feeling something other than interest. I waited, wondering what he'd say. Finally, I asked, "Did I say something wrong?"

"No… no, let's go."

"Okay, well, I have the ability of telepathy, so we will be able to talk even if we go up really high."

I got up and went outside, taking hold of his forearm as I began to lift off from the ground, beating my wings against the air harder than usual, having to lift more than just myself.

"You're heavy," I complained. "I'm not used to this much weight…"

Eventually we rose into the air, and I took his other arm, going up high where I'd be able to relax on the updrafts that would keep me aloft, along with EJ. I felt his grip on my forearms tighten as he looked down from the height. Using telekinesis, I bound our arms together so he wouldn't fall, and steered us toward the city, flying over it.

"I don't think I've ever been up this high… not even when I've been in a plane."

"We might have a bit of a rough landing. You're much heavier than Sally, and I wouldn't dare carry you like I did her. Also, I've bound our forearms together so we won't get separated until we are safely on the ground again, but keep holding on anyway."

I felt his death-grip loosen and let circulation through my arms again. I couldn't hover, so I glided in an updraft that was going the opposite way we were as best as I could, until I heard EJ say something.

 _Sorry, what?_

 _Let's go back. This is great and all, but I want to feel solid ground under my feet again._

 _Okay, if we start falling really fast, don't panic, it's just to get us down faster._

 _Alright._

I steered for the mansion and the forest, folding my wings just enough so we began a quick descent. Once we were plenty close enough but still far from the ground, I threw my wings out again, considerably slowing us down and began beating my wings to slowly lower EJ to the ground. I released the telekinetic bonds, and set down on the ground myself, rubbing my arms.

"Gah! My wings are already sore…"

"I'm stronger than I look. Muscle weighs more than fat."

"You must be really muscular under all that black, baggy clothing then."

I stretched my wings, folding and unfolding them behind my back. EJ wasn't responding, and I tilted my head a bit, his blue mask was just facing toward me.

"Uh… are you okay, EJ?"

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the uh… experience. I'm hungry, gonna go grab some… liver or something."

He walked into the mansion, and I wondered if he was afraid of heights and hadn't told me. Creepypastas had fears, right? Like myself, I feared betrayal by close friends.

 _He enjoyed that,_ Darkness said to me. _I think this merits a minuscule amount of power._

I felt my power rise by a spark, so I thanked Darkness, and went inside. It started raining during breakfast, which turned my mood sour. I would have gone flying all day, but weather just didn't agree with me that day. Poking at my breakfast, I thought of things to do with my day. I wasn't always in a mood to go kill, like most of the others, and then an idea hit me. Did Ben play video games since he knew me so well, or did he just like them? That was likely the thing he had been holding at Sally's birthday party; some sort of game. I could feel someone throwing glances my way almost throughout breakfast. I heard Jeff bickering with Jane, and a stray knife flew my way. I stopped it, and slowly returned it to its thrower, Jane, who looked at me as if she had never seen me before. I had barely touched the pancakes Slenderman had so kindly made for us, so I continued eating them before they got cold.

"Why don't you have any maple syrup on your pancakes, Endybrina," Sally asked.

"Hmm? What's maple syrup?"

"It's tree sap, from maple trees, and turned into a food item by a process," Slenderman said helpfully. One of his tentacles held out a small, clear bottle of it. "I make sure to only get the real maple syrup since we don't have pancakes too often. If you like sweets, you will certainly enjoy this."

I took the small glass bottle and looked at the dark amber liquid inside it. Shrugging, I poured a little on my pancakes before setting down the bottle and putting the cover back on. Sally looked at me, excited, as I took a bite of the syrup-coated pancake. It was indeed sweet, but had a very distinct taste. It tasted like burning maple wood smelled, almost. I gave a thumbs-up and Sally left, happy.

"You'd never guess she was a traumatized little four-year old at one point," I heard EJ murmur softly. "Slenderman truly is one hell of a guy. Any woman would be lucky to have him, if she wasn't human."

"You're a great guy too, EJ."

EJ stood up, took his mostly-eaten liver with him, and left to his room.

"What did I say?"

"I believe I understand what is happening. However, it is better if you go to EJ and ask him, Night Hunter."

"Would you stop with the 'Night Hunter' crap? I hate that name now! I didn't even come up with it."

I heard a dark chuckle from Slenderman as his shoulders shook a little. It sounded scarier than it should have, and I finished my breakfast before quickly excusing myself, having been the last one at the table. Two tentacles caught my ankles and I scrabbled at the floor.

"Let me go!"

I was instantly covered, fully constricted by his tentacles, and forced to look at him. I continued to struggle, wiggling my entire body so he would let me go.

"Yet you let them use it. Why is that, hm?"

"Because for once, the humans didn't run away screaming in terror, or pay me way too much respect that I didn't even earn! They ACCEPTED me for who I was!"

"But not _what_ you are. Here at my mansion, all those considered outcasts by humans are allowed here, and accepted as well."

"I'm sorry," I said quietly, stopping my struggle. "Please let me go about my day."

"Better. You will get it in time."

His tentacles unraveled from me. I said a quick thanks and left. Not being able to order anyone around was actually more of a relief than anything, but it was also hard not to do after doing so for what, two hundred years?

 _You've lived quite a while then, Enderbrina. I would have expected you to know more._

 _Where I come from, maple trees are a rarity, and are supposed to be good luck if one is found in the wild. A superstition, but it is nice to find one anyway._

I walked to EJ's room and knocked on the door, hoping to get some answers from him. When he opened the door, he closed it again and I heard some banging and rustling of cloth, then the door opened again and I stepped into a relatively clean, hospital-like room with a hospital bed. It had cuffs on each corner of the bed and a strap in the middle.

"Hi," I heard him say. "Sorry about breakfast, I didn't mean to make you feel awkward if I did…"

"Um, actually I came to talk to you about that. You've been acting weird."

"I have, I know. I don't know why."

"So we're both lost then. Great…"

We were silent for a moment. I wanted to ask him about his mask, so I did.

"Um, EJ, why do you always wear a mask," I asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. "Doesn't it, I dunno, get in the way, sometimes?"

"Sometimes it gets in the way when I eat. Other than that its not doing anything unhelpful for me."

"Huh… okay well, I'm gonna go. See you later."

I turned but heard him set down the beer bottle and get up. I didn't give him a chance to open the door for me, teleporting out before he could. I went to my room and sat down on my bed, looking at the room. Color coded like my old room in my castle. Sighing, I laid back on my bed, not much of the day had gone by, and I remembered Ben. I wondered if any of his games would suit the younger, action-loving girl within me. I teleported into his room, making him jump and throw something at me. I caught it, and looked at the thing in my hands. It was oddly shaped, two handles and a panel with different buttons.

"Enderbrina! Don't just do that!"

"Sorry… I didn't mean to scare you. Um… could I play a game with you, maybe?"

"Tell me all the games you've ever played, and which ones are your favorites."

I began rattling off the many games, naming my favorites, and then gave him an expecting look when I was done. He had a smile on his face, shoved the controller into my hands again, and moved to his laptop that he always seemed to have. He began typing away at the keyboard; I waited, not sure what he was doing. A confused look came over his face when it was done, and I heard a muttered "really" as he began typing again.

"Huh… okay, let's just play the game I was playing before."

* * *

"That was fun, Ben, but I'm going to go to sleep…"

"Oh, sure. Sleep well, I guess."

"You never sleep?"

"I'm a ghost, don't need sleep."

"Right…"

I teleported to my room, wanting to sleep. The day may have been rainy, but there had been enough to keep me occupied. I smiled, maybe living in Slenderman's fancy new mansion wasn't so bad after all. _Just gotta take this one day at a time, I guess._

I was too tired to notice a certain being in the shadows of my room that night.

* * *

 ***I wonder who the being is!? We'll have to wait and see in the next chapter! In the meantime, maybe you could favorite, or follow, or review my story? I have lots more to come, I promise! Alright, that's all for this chapter! Bye!***


	7. Chapter 7

***A/N: If you guessed the being was Slenderman, you were right! Onto the chapter, enjoy!***

* * *

White was the only thing that greeted me when I woke. I yelped, rolling away from Slenderman, instantly on my feet, on the opposite side of the bed. He chuckled.

"What the _hell_ are you doing in my room!? Don't stand over me like that when I wake up!"

"You are quite fun to mess with, Enderbrina. Perhaps you'd enjoy mind games instead?"

"Hell no. I did not sign up for this when I came here, and if I recall, nobody has ever had this sort of treatment!"

"You're the only one who has been able to hold their own against me, for as long as you did, in a fight." He teleported beside me and grasped my lower jaw in a bone-crushing grip. He moved close. "I enjoy these games we've been playing, and we will continue to play. You live under my roof, where my word is law. Get used to it."

"Why are you so damn close," I growled. "You gonna kiss me or something," I snarked, feeling bold. I felt the grip tighten, and teleported just a few inches away, enough to escape the hold. "Honestly… I was only joking. Look, if you wanna fight, fine. We'll do so, but give me some time. I'm not gonna be ready to go right away."

"Meet me outside, then. You slept through breakfast."

 _I'll just eat tonight, then, I guess…_

I stretched and grew my wings and tail, rubbing my hurt jaw. I went about getting some clean clothes, wondering what his tactic would be today. It wouldn't be anything short of agonizing.

 _Might as well just get on with it._

I left my hoodie on my bed, wearing just a purple shirt and black jeans. I decided on some black boots, pulling the jeans down over them after getting them laced firmly onto my feet. Combat boots suited my lifestyle well; I wondered why I had never worn them before. I decided to wear them more often, and took a deep breath before teleporting outside.

I materialized twin swords made of bronze, waiting for Slenderman to make the first move. His extreme height seemed even more intimidating as I experienced his static and ringing once again. He teleported in front of me, his claws slashing me. I easily returned it as he went to back away, opening two gashes. One on his shoulder, the other across his heart. I saw the blood pumping out to scab over the wound. I had cut too deep to let this go on for long. A tentacle pierced my stomach, an innumerable amount of them suddenly through me, making me look like black Swiss cheese. I was in the death realm. I could see Slenderman still holding my lower half up as my bloodied, unrecognizable upper half was laying on the ground. Eventually, my lower half was dropped near my upper half and Slenderman walked away, appearing shorter and fully healed. I woke up in a puddle of my own blood, irritated. Getting up, I went and got cleaned up, careful not to put on my wet clothes right away.

 _Interesting, my skin doesn't sublimate no matter what blood gets on it, whether it be my own, human blood, or Slenderman's… though my own blood shouldn't do it anyway._ I looked over at the unused shower, wishing for once I was still at my previous height of power to wash off the blood I was coated with. _Perhaps one day I'll be able to shapeshift again so I can survive water… but for now I will have to deal with what I have._

 _You were able to shapeshift?_

 _Before I was put here, yes. And thanks_ so _much for making my clothes look like Swiss cheese. Maybe you could rip them to shreds next time,_ I retorted, my tone heavy with sarcasm. I fixed my clothes using materialization, then pulled them back on once clean and dry.

 _I can already tell our games are going to increase in severity._

 _Leave me alone,_ I pleaded. _I don't know, nor do I want to, why you think this is a game. There is nothing that makes our fights seem like a game._

 _Games have winners, and losers. So far, you are the latter. I intend to toy with you for now._

 _And when you grow bored?_

 _Curiosity killed the cat, Enderbrina._

 _Yeah well I'm not a cat. Besides you've killed me plenty of times._

A chuckle. _I was watching you sleep last night for two reasons._

 _Well that's not creepy._

 _One, to be sure you'd wake up and get angry enough to fight. Two… the others have been thinking it would be fun to kill you, repeatedly. I did not want that happening._

 _So you watched me sleep simply to ward them off, and prevent any pain they might inflict on me? That… why would_ you _do that? Can't handle them hurting me so you can't have your fun killing me?_ No reply. I could feel his connection still there. _Hello? I can tell you're still there. Am I right?_

 _No._

The connection severed before I could ask anything else. Well, that was odd. What was wrong? Was I actually right, or was there something else to make him leave so suddenly? Brushing it off, I stood up from my bed and teleported to the living room, plopping down next to Sally. I was still thinking about the conversation I had just experienced, so I didn't notice Sally playing with the scales falling from my tail.

"What's bothering you, Brina?"

I looked up at Ben calling a shortened version of my name. "A telepathic conversation I had with Slender. He was acting a little off."

"What do you mean?"

"Well for one, he watched me all night saying all of you were planning on killing me repeatedly in my sleep. Supposedly he thinks of me as a plaything and wanted me to get angry enough to fight him, and then he didn't want any of you killing me, or hurting me I guess."

"We weren't planning on that…"

"So he lied. Shocker."

I put my face in my hands, pulling my tail away from Sally unintentionally. She whined, so I moved my tail back. "Sorry Sally, I'm trying to figure out something right now. Got distracted."

"You agreed with me I was acting strangely too, Brina, but now I don't… I don't know, I don't feel it anymore."

"Feel what, EJ?"

"Weird. Around you. Maybe its because you were new to the mansion."

"Well, I guess it's all good then, except for this problem with Slenderman. Has he ever acted stranger than usual before? Jeff, you might know."

"Nah, he's watched a few humans before, still does once in a while, but he doesn't break the rules that Zalgo put in place. He knows it would mean the end of himself."

"Rules?"

"Creepypastas cannot fall in love with humans, and we can't let them know about our presence."

I leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "So basically I'm off the hook. I'm not a Creepypasta, nor am I a human. Those rules don't apply to me, right?"

"You live here, plus you've taken our side. Might wanna follow them."

I glanced over at Jane, she seemed to be avoiding conversation. "Yeah, you are right… I do have one human tie, and so does Jane. Since I fought with Slenderman this morning, I decided I would just eat later tonight." I saw the spark of fury in Jane's eyes. I smirked before getting up. "Anyone wanna come with?"

"Where are you going, sweets," Laughing Jack asked.

"Go grab a human to eat, of course."

"I'm in," Eyeless Jack said, jumping up.

I walked outside, Eyeless Jack in tow. I noticed he actually wore black gloves all the time, wondering how I hadn't seen it before. "So you eat the organs, right?"

"Mainly just the kidneys."

"Well, you're in luck, I don't eat nearly everything… like a certain baldy."

He snickered, and I told him my plan to eat the very human I had befriended.

"Was he Jane's spouse before she came to the mansion?"

"Yeah. Right now, he thinks I won't, and I'll make it a nonchalant visit, when you come in, I'll kill him."

"Sounds like a plan."

I nodded, teleporting to Garry's apartment. He was sleeping in his bed. I sat in his armchair, waiting, poking him with telekinesis from across the room. He murmured something sleepily and woke up. He looked around, startled by my eyes watching him. Chuckling, he sat up and reached over, turning on the light.

"Hey, Enderbrina. How are you?"

"I'm alright. Do you ever regret meeting me?"

"Uh… why do you ask that?"

"I'm just wondering."

"Okay… you're acting weird… and you're giving me a funny look."

I licked my lips, a wicked smile growing across my lips. A knock was heard at the door, Garry jumping up to get it. I heard him scream when he flung it open, backing up until he tripped and fell at my feet.

"Well… now do you regret it?"

Garry looked between me and Jack, fear consuming the light in his eyes.

"Oh, don't be so scared, Garry," I cooed, a mischievous glint in my eyes. "Jack here is a friend of mine. He won't hurt you… but… I will."

I had never played with my food before, but tonight I intended to do so. I tackled Garry, greedily tearing open his chest, down to just above his navel. A jagged opening showed off his innards, which I looked at, examining them. I looked at Garry's face, gently poking his organs. I reached into his mind, numbing the pain of his torn-open stomach, then poked the last few.

"Playing with your food, Brina? You should know better than that."

"I've never once played with my food before, Jack. This is the one time I have."

I grew bored of Garry's uncomfortable faces, and tore out his heart after letting the pain consume his mind again. We ate the corpse, enjoying every bit. I decided to try the heart I had previously torn from the corpse, finding it extra bloody. We left quickly afterward, under the cover of a dark dawn, as we had spent the night there, making it look like Garry had been robbed and killed.

"We're back," Eyeless Jack announced for us as we walked through the front doors.

"So," Jane began curtly, "what did you do?"

"Ate Garry," I stated bluntly. She shrieked and leapt at me, but I managed to slip out of the way. "Come on, Jane. You came to the mansion with Jeff and became a Creepypasta. No going back once that happens."

I licked one of my fingers still coated in the bright crimson, looking around for the newest resident, the Bloody Painter. I found them on the armchair next to the fireplace. A blue overcoat, black jeans, and a simple white shirt, yet no blood. Their hands were covered with black gloves, which had a few spots of blood on them. The blue overcoat had a yellow, smiley-face pin on the left side. I could tell the Bloody Painter was male. He wore a mask, no surprise, with blacked out eyes and a red smile. I teleported a bit closer, seeing he was in the middle of painting. I had, as a child, enjoyed art myself. No matter what was used to make it and the message within the art itself, it always made me feel innocent. Closer, closer, until I was right behind the armchair, seeing he was painting what seemed to be a human hanging by their feet from a tree. It was in blood, as expected, but it seemed like a landscape had just turned red. The different layers made it seem almost three-dimensional.

 _Amazing…_

I was too entranced by the painting to see the Bloody Painter had turned to regard me. I looked at him, expecting to find the brown hair on the back of his head, but saw the mask turned toward me. I backed up a step, biting my lip.

"Hi," I said, nervous. "You… you're amazing, with art…"

"You like it?"

I nodded, glancing at the painting again. "It looks like a real landscape… except red."

"Thanks. A lot of people find my art to be disturbing. So, when you found me, why did you call Slenderman?"

"I just figured you might be better off here, with all of us. Nobody to judge you."

I watched as he turned back to his painting, and gave it some finishing touches. I was amazed by the steadiness of his hand, wishing I could watch him paint all day. Nothing seemed better than that. Suddenly, he picked up his easel and the canvas, taking his paint with him and going to his room. Saddened, I teleported to my own room. I wondered, strange as it was, if he would find my own blood useful to paint with. I had been eating my fair share of gemstones and the like, as well as humans. I was tempted to give him a jar full of my blood, since it was purple. I wrestled with simply doing it and asking him before doing so, and eventually decided it would just be a nice present.

Carefully, I took out one of the throwing knives from my storage and materialized a jar, and made a cut on the largest vein in my wrist, letting the blood flow out until I felt dizzy. I healed the cut, put on the lid, and took a few deep breaths, eating a few gems to help my body regenerate blood. I looked at the purple liquid in the jar, and felt for Bloody Painter's presence. He had left his room, back in the living room with everyone else. It was only about four am, so I took extra caution and moved across the hall, looking for his room. I slipped in, and was shocked by the amount of paintings lining the walls. Quickly, I put a note on the jar I had brought with me, and searched for a good place to put it. I saw some things spinning, and put it near those. I teleported directly out of the room just as I heard the door opening, and watched from across the hall, wondering what his reaction would be.

"Who the hell put blue color in my paint," he shouted down the hall.

When he saw me peeking from my door across the hall, I shut my door as he stalked over. I opened it for him once I was sitting on my bed, and he shoved the jar in my hands. I put it beside me, where he could reach it if he decided to take it back.

"What kind of joke is this?"

"It's not."

"Why is it purple!?"

I took a knife out and made a small cut in my arm again, watching as the blood welled up, purple. I looked at him, waiting, until he reached a gloved finger forward and collected some of my blood on his hand.

"Okay, your blood is purple… not sure why…"

"I figured since you paint with blood I'd give you some of my own," I replied, healing away the cut. "I used to draw all the time as a child… then, when my life took a turn for the better, there was so much going on I completely forgot about it. Also… careful, I don't know how my blood might affect your skin."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, I guess."

He left, leaving me alone in my room. I saw he had taken the jar with him, it was no longer beside me on my bed. Shadow hopped onto my bed, laying in front of me. I stroked his back, thinking again about the telepathic conversation I had this morning.

 _Why did he "protect" me all night if nobody was going to kill me? Weird… maybe he was just observing how I sleep._

I felt a connection forced into my mind, and winced but let him in anyway. _What do you want,_ I asked, curious.

 _Come to my office._

 _I assume you'll tell me why when I get there…_

The link dropped, so I teleported up to his office, looking up expectantly. Slenderman wasn't anywhere to be seen, and I couldn't feel his presence. I knew he was there, I could feel him watching me. I felt a hand close around my hair and he turned me around, still holding my hair.

"Ow! What the hell!"

"What magic are you using?"

"Wait, magic? Like, runes?"

"So you used runes?"

"On the golem… oh, your book! Geez… all this for a book?"

I materialized the book and held it out to him. He threw it to the floor, letting it land open. My stomach sank, fear settling in heavily. His tentacles curled around me, squeezing, until I was sure I would die.

"What did you do!?"

"What do you mean!? I just gave Bloody Painter some of my blood! I haven't done anything wrong!"

I was in the air then, dizzy, and heard a **_CRACK_** as I hit the wall. No, a tree, as I saw bright green grass below me. I could barely move enough to sit up better against the tree and drew away from Slenderman, approaching me quickly. I managed to get to my feet and began teleporting away, trying to heal my back as I evaded him. My head was yanked backward, my scalp burning now. I was pinned to a tree with two tentacles through me, face-to-no-face with him. I looked up at him, trembling, fear shaking my spine.

 _What the hell did I do!?_

"Do not lie to me, tell me what you did!"

"I don't know, okay!? I gave you your book back! I only thought about our previous conversation from yesterday morning!"

A pause. "Why were you thinking about that?" He sounded slightly more calm, but I still couldn't feel his presence.

"Y-you were acting a l-little off… I was wondering why, t-trying to figure it out…"

He dropped me, leaving. Why was this so confusing!? I broke down, crying my eyes out. I was in a puddle of quicksilver before I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. I felt for a presence, it was my best friend, Ben. I wiped at my tears, trying to calm down.

"Hey, I heard what Slendy did to you. Everyone's thinking about what could be wrong right now."

"He said something about me using magic… but all I did was use runes to make a granite golem come to life to fight me. I gave him his rune book back, but he just threw it to the floor… then he brought me out here and threw me into a tree."

"Do you want me to leave you alone out here?"

"No… no, I'll go back to the mansion with you."

The hand left my shoulder, but Ben didn't move far. I got up, disgusted I had lost my composure so severely. I teleported Ben and myself back to the mansion, trying to look like I hadn't been crying. Then it hit me.

"Guys… he said he wanted to play mind games with me…"

"That's it, then? We were predicting something a little different."

"Such as?"

"He likes the skill you have and is trying to provoke you to fight more."

"Definitely the latter half of that, but shortly after we met, he allowed me to be something like a co-owner if his forest. Then he built this, and it was his, just his, again. He probably just thinks I fight well, and wants me to fight him more so he can kill me over and over for more sick enjoyment."

"Wait, Brina, what are you saying," Bloody Painter asked.

"Oh, that's right… I never told you. Like Slenderman, I am immortal. Our immortality works the same. If we die, we'll come back after our body heals itself."

"So if I killed you—"

"You could _try."_

"Hypothetical question. If I killed you, and collected your blood for my paintings, you'd come back to life?"

"After a certain amount of time, yes."

I could tell he was thinking, but decided not to listen in.

"What's it like when you're dead?"

"I'm sure its different from normal death, but I kind of turn into just my soul. I can see what's going on around my body, but straying too far can cause a delay to my revival. I usually don't go further than a few meters, otherwise my body could be mangled beyond repair before it has a chance to heal."

"How does it heal when you're dead?"

"That's something I'll likely never know. It just happens."

 _Mrrow!"_

I jumped, scared by Shadow's sudden meow. He was on the arm of the chair beside me. I invited the cat into my lap, stroking his back as we continued to talk. Nothing helpful came up, until Jane sighed, having not given anything to the conversation yet. She pinched the bridge of her nose, obviously disappointed.

"Look, I know you all thought of it. Nobody is brave enough to just say it? He loves her! It's more than clear, anyone with half a brain could figure it out!"

The room went silent. Ben snickered, and everyone began laughing, except for me. I was blushing furiously, surprised Jane had just said something that would induce such awkwardness. Then, when they all saw me not laughing, the laughter died down.

"Don't you guys get it? She's the one non-human… _thing_ — no offense, Brina — around for miles. You know how he is about rules and even the most basic rights."

I grabbed a pillow and hid my face in it, I didn't want anyone to see my now-pale face. Blushing made my cheeks get lighter. I felt a tentacle slowly wrap around my neck, and froze. I clung to the pillow, as if it would keep me safe. I began trembling, out of fear that he may have just heard the entire conversation.

"Slender! Uh… hey," I heard Jane say, nervous. "H-how much did you hear?"

"Enough," he growled lowly. I felt dizzy, and landed on a sofa, but still clutched the pillow, not daring to move. "It is alright, Enderbrina. Put the pillow down. I will not harm you."

Slowly, I placed the pillow down beside me, feeling Shadow's presence still in the living room. My heart hammered at my ribcage, and I grew my wings and tail in case he tried anything. Slenderman was looking out the windows of his office, arms crossed. I wanted to leave. I was afraid of what was going on.

"You don't feel the same thing?"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Every time we've… fought, since you re-gained telepathy, we have both been slightly off. It's been getting worse, too."

"I didn't notice…"

"I know I said this friendship between us would not escalate to anything serious."

"But it has, for you. I don't know if… if I can reciprocate."

"Pardon?"

"I've never been in love before. Yes, I loved killing, and certain foods, but I've never had a _serious_ relationship with someone."

"Zalgo never said we couldn't love someone who wasn't a Creepypasta, but also not human…"

I took a deep breath. "You probably know more about relationships than I do."

He teleported in front of me. "I do, and it seems as if there would be little chance for an _us_ with myself and you, but if it calms this strange feeling, I am willing to give it a try."

I didn't know how to respond. I saw the white hand extended to me, as if offering to help me to my feet. I looked up too far, expecting him to be taller, but he seemed just over two meters tall now. Hesitantly, I took his hand, and he pulled me to himself. It was a simple hug, but it took my mind a moment to register anything before hugging him back. It wasn't long before we stopped, my face was probably almost as pale as his skin. I bit my lip, and returned the pillow to the living room sofa quickly, teleporting back to his office.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Just… blushing," I ground out. "I don't turn red when I blush."

His laugh was pure, and I looked up, he was still just over two meters tall.

"Is that your normal height," I asked, trying to change the subject.

"It is. Is there something wrong with that?"

"No! Not at all, I was just wondering. Tall is… well, my kind usually grows to around two and a half meters tall… which is how tall you are right now. It's… odd. But you were a lot taller than that when we first met and you practically attacked me."

"I regret that," he huffed. "I regret ever hurting you, and I don't wish to any longer."

"But who's going to fight me, then?"

"The golem you made, of course. You still have it, don't you?"

"Oh, right…" I felt everyone leaving the mansion, and turned, surprised. "Everyone else is leaving, is that normal?"

"It's Hallowe'en, the one night they can go interact with humans. They like to take advantage of the candy. It was originally just Laughing Jack doing it, but since the mansion has become more lively, they all go."

"Oh… so we're alone then?"

"Yes."

I teleported out of his office, to the living room where I picked up the remote control, curling my tail to my right so I could sit normally, and put in the one horror movie I hadn't seen yet. I watched it, Slenderman following me around.

"I suppose if Zalgo does not mind _us_ being a regularity, you could move into my room. It is not far from my office."

"I thought all the rooms on the top floor were private, except your office, when told."

"Not all. Just my room and my balcony."

"Balcony, huh?"

"It has a decent view of the clearing, and if the sky is clear, you can see the Milky Way. I find it quite entrancing."

"Hmm…"

"You have not watched the comedic horror movies yet."

"I'll watch one another day. I think everyone was thinking I was just… new to this. I was little offended, actually, they almost treated me like they would a human friend."

"A human friend? You say that as if it has happened before."

"Garry existed at one point… I do like to think he was my friend, just not when I ate him."

"Was he a nuisance?"

"No, not really. He was a normal guy. Lived in an apartment, made cookies for the kids in his neighborhood, drank beer here and there. All in all, if my loyalties had not changed, he and I would likely be great friends."

"He made cookies?"

"Yeah, his cookies were phenomenal. I don't suppose you've ever had any cookies?"

"No. Why would I eat them? They are full of sugar."

"So are humans that eat a lot of cookies," I countered.

"You have a point… it is too bad you did not know his recipes."

"Who said I didn't? I memorized them while I played with him earlier."

"You played with him?"

"I never got to play with my food before. It wasn't very fun…"

"You don't know how to properly stimulate the nerves."

"Well, maybe you can teach me, since we will likely be spending quite a bit of time together."

I got up and stretched, feeling something wrap around my wing as I passed by the chair Slenderman was sitting in. I looked back.

"Yes?"

"Where are you going? You wanted to watch movies."

"I did. Now, I'm thinking I'll bake some cookies for everyone. They deserve a treat every once in a while. I know it's Hallowe'en, but they aren't really going to any houses, they are just scaring everyone and having a good time, easily blending in."

"How do you know this?"

"I can feel presences, remember?"

"It must have slipped my mind."

I teleported to the kitchen, Slenderman following me. I realized throwing flour in his face would just annoy him, and make him wonder why I would do something so strange. I giggled softly at my silly thoughts, and turned the oven on, preheating it.

"You seem very interested in these cookies. What is so special about them? Could you not just get some from the grocers?"

I scoffed. "You know, store-bought cookies are never as good as homemade. The stores don't make the cookies fresh every day."

I heard the timer go off. Pulling the cookies out, I let them rest in the sheet pan for a moment, before setting them onto a cooling rack. I saw a tentacle grab one from the sheet, and glanced over at Slenderman, a smirk growing on my face as I watched him take a bite. I stayed quiet, taking one of the cookies myself. I had made two dozen, knowing Laughing Jack would enjoy the cookies. He definitely wasn't greedy, but he practically lived off candy and sweets. I noticed the smell of cookies now permeated the air, hanging sweetly around the mansion. I hopped up onto the counter, tasting the cookie I had made.

"You have impressive cooking skills."

"It's called baking, but it's really not that difficult. When baking, following a recipe to exact measurements is key."

"Isn't that what the grocers do?"

"Not always. Even if they do, they always leave out one ingredient."

"Do not say love. It is a feeling, not an ingredient."

I laughed. "It's true, though. I enjoy making cookies. It reminds me of home. Of course, I enjoy living here, and fully intend to stay as long as I can."

Voices from the hallway caught my attention, so I quickly used telekinesis to put the cookies onto a large plate in a circular pyramid, and got up, waving everyone in, seeing they had no candy.

"No candy, huh?"

"Nah, our 'costumes' were too scary. We ended up heading back early."

"Well, you're in luck then. Can you smell that?"

I grinned as Laughing Jack shouted "cookies" and took off, everyone walking a little faster. I teleported back into the kitchen and scooted up onto the counter where I had been before, passively watching them eat the fresh pile of cookies.

"These are so good!"

"I just made them while you guys were out. Two dozen."

* * *

My room smelled of cookies in the morning. I sat up, thinking it was just somebody in the kitchen baking sugar cookies. I realized I was only partially correct. There was a plate of three fresh, still warm cookies on my bedside. I saw a note was with them, in Slenderman's perfect handwriting.

* * *

 ** _I believe I said I wanted you to move into my room. You should do so today._**

 ** _I baked the cookies myself. I did not know when you would wake up, so they may not be warm when you read this._**

 ** _-S_**

* * *

 _They are,_ I sent through thought to him. _You really didn't have to remind me._

I picked up one of the cookies. Cookies for breakfast? It wasn't unlike the summer tradition my parents and I had when I was a child: ice-cream for dinner, when we could afford it. I giggled at the memory, loving how much this seemed like it. I flipped over the note while eating the cookies, checking for anything on the back. Strangely, I saw it was some sort of note. I could see Slenderman, drawn as something of a stick figure, with the words, "Be Mine" written around him many times. I continued observing the picture, a new figure fading in as if by magic. It was me, but I wasn't quite a stick figure.

"I suppose I have your attention, now?"

I looked up, he was there, at the foot of my bed, standing at his two-and-a-half meters height. I could tell his hands were clasped behind his back as usual. I swallowed the last bit of cookie.

"Of course I'll move in, if you really want me to. I'm just still… not sure how this is going to work. I can tell you did make the cookies, by the way."

He nodded. I realized I had slept with my wings and tail, and stretched them, feeling stiff.

"I was thinking if you'd like to go hunting with me later, I would catch us both something."

"I would enjoy that."

"I have realized that your basic physique is similar to my own."

"I can't change how tall I am, you know… nor can I sprout tentacles from my back."

"However, you can sprout wings, and a tail."

I smiled, rolling my eyes as I went into my closet and got dressed, dematerializing all my clothes for easy transport.

"How convenient is your materialization ability?"

"I don't have to carry all my clothes to your room," I said, gesturing to my now-empty closet. "Wait… hold on… where am I going to sleep? I'm certainly not sleeping in your bed."

"Of course you will be. There is no other bed in my room."

"I am not—!"

"You are confusing me. First, you said you would move into my room, now you do not wish to sleep in the same bed?"

"No! What are you, dense!? I don't want to share a bed with you! I—"

I found a white finger pressed to my lips. I glared at him, but he stopped me from saying anything else, and spoke himself. "I promise you will sleep easy in my bed, and I would not take advantage of you. That is not something any of us would do. Anyone daring to do that must get through me first."

I nodded. "Okay, fine… sorry about… freaking out."

"I understand. Will you meet us for breakfast today?"

"Of course. I'll be there in a moment."

He teleported away, and I wondered about why he never ate at the dining room table with the rest of us. It was likely because he ate humans. I went around my room, dematerializing items into storage I wanted to take with me. I picked up my gradient, purple-to-black hoodie and pulled it on. I looked in the mirror, I was somewhat similar to him in basic build, wasn't I? My height was just under two meters, average human size, but I had a thin frame, as is usual not only with females of most species, but my kind especially. I had never felt like a "girly girl" in my youngest years.

 _Breakfast is nearly ready,_ Slenderman thought in our connection. _You said you'd join us._

 _Sorry, I was lost in thought._

I fixed my hair quickly, putting it in a simple ponytail, and teleported to the dining room. Nobody gave me strange looks when I sat down next to the head of the table, where Slenderman was sitting, a bit taller than usual, sipping his coffee. I thanked him quietly for making breakfast, and ate in silence, my thoughts consuming me again. My past had never been exactly pleasant, only getting worse as time went on. The one thing that could have happened to anyone else had happened to me. From that point on it seemed I had a target on my back, whether for attention or for attack, I never determined.

"Hey, Brina, you okay?"

"Yeah," I replied, not bothering to look up.

 _Why are you thinking about that? You are here now._

 _I know I'm here now, but you don't know what it's like to lose a brother, to lose everything and everyone you once loved._

 _You're crushing the fork._

I looked at the fork in my hand, seeing it was bent wildly out of shape. Sighing, I excused myself from the table, even taking care of my own dishes, and went outside. I fought with Gran, letting out my frustration and clearing my mind. My hand swung back, something slithering around my wrist. I stopped, knowing who it was.

"Calm down."

"I am calm. Please let go of my wrist."

I felt myself spun around, facing Slenderman again. A glance up was all I needed to know he was not impressed.

"No," he chuckled. Then, he was serious. "Why are you out here most of the time?"

"Most of the time?" I sighed. "I'm not out here most of the time. I come out here and spar with Gran to clear my mind. I am the exact opposite of what my kind is supposed to be. Sparring is like meditating to me, though not so much when it's with you."

His tentacled slithered away, and he held out his hand to me. "Well then, perhaps you should get settled in our room, now that your mind is clear and you are calm?"

I didn't bother fighting, just taking his hand, blushing a bit. I began with my clothes, seeing a walk-in closet full of suits that were definitely his. There was a second closet for me, which I hung up my clothes in.

"Neither of us are very good at this, are we?"

"Good at what?"

"Being… well, you know, _us._ Being a couple."

"I didn't know that we had to be good at doing anything."

"Well you're more knowledgeable about this than I am."

"Let's just take it one day at a time, Enderbrina."

"Alright… we will."

"Would you like to see the view from the balcony?"

"Sounds great."

I felt dizzy as he teleported me, but when my vision came into focus, I was frozen in place by what I saw.

* * *

 ***Cliffhanger! Sort of… anyway, don't forgot to Follow, Favorite, and Review! See you in the next chapter!***


	8. Chapter 8

***I did my best to describe this first scene well. I hope you enjoy!***

* * *

I was in awe of the sight. The moon was full and the stars shone as if no lights were even on the Earth, the old oak standing proud and tall at the center of the clearing. The soft light of the moon turned its green leaves into brilliant silver ones, the grass reflecting the light in the same way. The forest itself seemed more alive, as well, as if spring had just come. Nocturnal birds sung, a soft breeze blew, making the oak's leaves shake in the wind, like thousands of diamonds twinkling. The balcony itself was white, matching the outside of Slenderman's mansion. The moon's light gave it a soft glow, making me feel as if I was in an ethereal realm. I was nervous to touch the railing, afraid my black, metallic skin would taint the glowing white wooden beam. I had never seen anything so beautiful. Only a single word escaped my lips in a whisper.

"Wow…"

"You like it, I assume."

It took me a moment to regain my voice and reply to him.

"Why do you hide this!? I mean, I get it, but… why do you keep it all to yourself?"

"I don't. I leave the door unlocked and say it's a private room of mine. None of the Creepypastas dare to come in here, they are afraid of my wrath. I expected them to try to sneak in here. Alas, none of them did."

I laughed, "I would be afraid too, knowing what you can do." My mind reeled for a moment, realizing just what time it was. "Wow, I spent all day sparring with Gran? Time sure flies…"

"You must be tired."

I flinched at his comment, knowing what it meant. I had to be honest, it did scare me. I had never shared a bed, no matter the side, with anyone except my parents when I had nightmares.

"And you ruined the moment…"

"What moment?"

"Forget it… let's just go sleep."

I teleported to his room, looking at the massive bed. It seemed larger than even king-size, and I quickly went into my closet, changing into pajamas and stepping out to find Slenderman had already taken off his jacket; it laid lazily over the back of a chair. Now he was loosening his tie, which I noticed was the color of fresh blood. No longer in his jacket, I could see clearly defined muscles, which I assumed was from chasing his victims, or perhaps simply because he was supernatural. I averted my eyes, looking at the floor as I sat under the sheets, my nerves overloading at being so close to him. Normally, I would be comfortable in his company, but I was in _his_ bed, his! Not my own! I was terrified.

"You do not need to wait for an invitation. This bed is yours as well."

"I… I'm not really tired."

"You must calm down. I have already told you, none of us would take advantage of you, myself especially."

"Is it because of our… uhm… bond?"

"Sleep."

It was more of a command than anything, but I settled down, turning toward the edge of the bed, willing my wings and tail away, remembering briefly they were there. I calmed my breathing, and let stasis engulf me. Nothing. I was numb, the night passing quickly. I woke before Slenderman, not because I wanted to, but because my nerves were shot. I had slept next to him! I slowly got out, careful not to disturb him. I could barely hear his deep breathing as I went into my closet; he was still asleep, good. I began to pull on my day clothes, a pair of navy jeans and a green shirt, and my usual gradient hoodie. I looked at myself in the mirror, seeing the green shirt contrasting well with the pale lavender on my shoulders, the navy nearly blending in with the black hem of my hoodie. I heard a soft footstep at the entrance of my closet, and noted my door was closed. I opened the door with telekinesis, turning to face my new "roommate."

"Good morning." No reply. I was staring back at him, the top button of his white dress shirt undone, barely showing his chest. "Um… are you okay?"

"Er… you look nice."

I was confused by his choice of words. He was normally more sophisticated with his language. "Okay… well, I'm going to… go."

I teleported out of his room, still freaked out by the fact I had slept beside him. I ended up landing in the living room, nobody fazed by my popping into existence next to them. Everyone looked bored, as if they had been awake for a while and had already exhausted every idea of a fun distraction they could think of.

"Hey, Brina! Where were you yesterday?"

"Hi, EJ. Outside, sparring with a golem I made."

"All day?"

"Yup, didn't even realize it."

"Wow. By the way, where were you at dinner?"

"I ate breakfast… I usually only eat once a day."

The only sound was the wind blowing outside. I remembered the light breeze that made the leaves sparkle last night on the balcony.

"Are you okay, Brina?"

I looked up, Jane was looking at me, waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You were turning pale."

"W-well… I… uh…" I stammered.

"What? Did you have a scary nightmare or something last night?"

"I don't want to talk about last night," I growled.

"Sheesh, calm down. I was only asking my best friend."

"Sorry," I said, getting up and going outside.

Why was I so frustrated? Something was wrong. I felt his presence behind me, and his hands rested on my shoulders. Instantly I was back in the living room, going back to the spot I had sat in. Everyone noticed Slenderman walking to the kitchen, and turned back to me, anxious looks on their faces.

"Not. A. Word. We shared a bed last night, just for sleep."

The threat in my tone must have been very serious, because nobody said anything, but I heard a few soft laughs, besides Laughing Jack's uncontrollable laughter. The rest of the time between then and breakfast passed with them having quiet conversations amongst themselves. At some point, Ben asked me to play video games and I said I would after breakfast. Even though I had been brought back to the mansion against my will, I felt calmer. I wasn't frustrated anymore. I realized, with a light sigh, I was actually falling in love with Slenderman. I didn't know how his mind processed emotions, but he showed only signs of interest toward me so far. In the first four months we had known the other, it was filled with fights or forced "friendly" talk. Never had we thought about a relationship with each other. Even still, as the world began to fall into winter once more, he only showed mildly stronger interest, a simple hand on my shoulder keeping my emotions reigned in. A new question plagued me. What was love? I had no idea when it came to being "in love" with someone. I guessed I would find out as time went on.

Breakfast was quiet, and I felt happy sitting so close to him. No telepathic conversation went on today, letting the silence go on. Nothing felt awkward, not even when he asked me to help with the dishes. I agreed to it quietly, standing next to him as I used telekinesis to keep myself water-free. After everything was done, he invited me to bake some muffins with him.

 _What's with all this… activity? So suddenly?_

 _Your nerves are frayed from the awkwardness you felt last night._ Well, that was true, I had to admit it. _Perhaps being around me more would help._

 _I don't know about that, but I'm sure everyone will like the muffins for breakfast tomorrow._

While we were making the second batch of muffins, I found a cloud of white powder thrown in my face. I was stunned for a moment, until I heard him chuckling. I rolled my eyes, smiling a little, and kept mixing the batter.

"What was that for?"

"Just to surprise you."

"You wanted to surprise me? Yeah, okay."

I had flour on my face still when the final batch of muffins went in. I took the least damp towel I could find that wasn't dry, and wiped down my face as quickly as possible. My face stung slightly afterward, so I wiped away what water I could with the dry corner, getting the flour off the rest of myself as well. I felt a cold hand take mine, and lips brushed the back of my hand. A barely defined, eyeless and mouth-less face stared back at me as he let go.

"Do you feel less nervous around me?"

"I guess, somewhat. I don't do fancy, as you saw with Sally's birthday party last year. I was extremely uncomfortable in that dress, and I made it myself!"

"You were quite stunning in it."

"You say that now, of course…"

"Of course," he echoed. "I would not have said it if you had not worn it."

"Oh, so it's my fault?"

Apparently he thought my embarrassment was funny, and actually laughed, making my cheeks turn even lighter. I did enjoy hearing him laugh, though... it was enchanting to say the least.

"I am teasing, my dear." That was new; he only ever called me by my name before. I supposed it was the relationship we were building, ever so slowly.

"Okay… so, I realized something this morning."

"What is that?"

"I… actually have feelings for you. It's confusing since I've only felt love for family, not for anyone else. I mean, I have felt love for friends before but I don't feel like it goes any deeper than best friends. It's not the same with you…"

I looked up to see he was simply gone. I looked around, and felt for his presence. Where had he gone? The timer snapped me out of my confused stupor, and I took the first batch of muffins out. They smelled wonderful, even though they were simple blueberry muffins. I set them onto a plate once they cooled some, then left them out on the dining table, at the end of the table where nobody sat during meals. Something was wrong, but I didn't know what. I sat on the counter, waiting for the other muffins to be done. Once they were, I set them on the plate with the other muffins. I felt a massive presence outside, recognizing it as Zalgo's, and teleported to the front steps of Slenderman's mansion. He wasn't threatening anyone, he seemed to be waiting.

"Hello again, newcomer."

"Hello… sir."

"It would seem you've captured Slenderman's interest."

"Uh… yes, I suppose so. May I ask why you're here?"

"I want to speak with him."

Suddenly, Slenderman was there, by my side, his arm around my shoulders. I was surprised, he had left me alone in the kitchen without a trace of ever being there. I looked back at Zalgo, his dark blue orbs clearly flicking between the two of us, deciding what to say. I was purely nervous.

"You know my rules, Slenderman."

"Yes, I do."

"No matter how I look at her, she is neither human, nor a Creepypasta. If you know her tendencies, I wish you the best. If not, then good luck. Be with her if you wish."

With that said, fire swirled at his feet and he was gone. I stood there, stunned.

"That was unexpected… but I appreciate his kind gesture."

"Kind gesture?"

"He isn't going to destroy the world if we choose to be a couple."

"D-destroy!?"

"Er… he is basically what rules the world without everyone knowing it. In a sense, he is…"

"A Creator," I interrupted. "A scary-looking one at that."

"A Creator? Where did you hear about those?"

"My previous home."

I felt dizzy, then realized we were in his room. No, _our_ room, he called it. I sat on the edge of the bed, still amazed by the sheer size of it.

"Is everything alright?"

"I told Ben I would play video games with him but I just don't feel up to it now."

"I shall let him know." He was gone for not even a minute, returning to me and sitting beside me. "What's bothering you? I can see the worry you harbor."

"I don't want rumors about us to be spread through everyone who lives here."

"They won't."

I felt him take my hand again, making me look down at his fingers as they slowly intertwined with mine. I sighed, relaxing, and leaned onto him. The stark contrast of our skin held my gaze.

"You are not so nervous, and look where we are."

"Your muffin-baking helped, after all."

"I am sorry I left so suddenly."

"It's okay, but I couldn't feel your presence anywhere on the surface."

"That is because I went to Zalgo, confused with how I have been… feeling. He sent me away, and then appeared here after considering my worry."

"You… you've been feeling different?"

"I have been feeling attracted to you. I cannot believe I have developed human-like feelings. I feel weakened."

"You have no idea what weakened feels like."

"Ah yes, your arrival here."

"Yeah… but now, it seems like so long ago, when it was only a few years."

A long, comfortable silence drew out between us. I remembered how muscular he had been, and wondered how he always seemed so… well, slender.

"It is because, like you, I am supernatural."

"I like that you can hear my thoughts… it makes conversation easier."

"It does."

"You know… your cold reminds me of my previous home. It's comforting."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. It is."

I felt cold envelope me, realizing he had pulled me fully against him, and his tentacles were wrapping around me. I felt only comfort, not fear as I had before. Then, they drew away, and more quiet ensued. I could hardly believe what he had just done, and I hadn't been afraid. I stood up, and he followed me to the door. I hugged him firmly.

"I've changed my mind about video games with Ben. Do you mind?"

"Not at all."

I teleported into Ben's room, standing a ways back as he played game I hadn't seen before. He paused the game, and stretched, bending over backwards and seeing me standing there. He jumped, whipping around.

"You're worse than your brother, I swear. Shit, I can't believe you actually scared me."

"Sorry. I know I said no earlier, but I changed my mind."

"Well come on, then!"

* * *

I shot my fist into the air, I had won. "Yes, finally! Even with the balanced version!"

"Nice job. I'm impressed."

I looked at the console, seeing it was an old one. I remembered seeing the most recent one in the game stores.

"Hmm…"

"Why are you smirking like that?"

"Stay here… I'll be right back."

"Okay?"

Darkness was happy to help, stealing many different consoles from across the world with me, and I teleported back to Ben's room to see him playing something else.

"Hey, Ben, didn't you have other games for other consoles?"

"Yeah, like, every game in existence."

"Well, now you have one of every console in existence," I said, materializing the ones Darkness had helped me get. I grinned at Ben, seeing him practically drool at the many consoles. "I assume this is like heaven on Earth for you."

"Yeah! You are amazing."

"No, I'm just me. Come on, you made a character for me, this is the least I can do in return."

"This is going way overboard."

"No, getting you enough televisions to line this wall would be going overboard." I dematerialized the smaller, older television he had and materialized six large, flat-screen televisions in place of it. Ben just stared at the dark screens. "However, I think six will do perfectly. They're on hinges that fold down and out, for easy plugging in."

"Sweet! Come on, you gotta play with me now! I _need_ to test this setup!"

I laughed. "Okay, okay."

I sat down, Ben plugging in the new televisions and getting everything set up. He took the newest console and turned it on, the TV's coming to life, each with a corresponding sixth of the screen.

"This is amazing. I hope word about this doesn't get out."

"Too late, Ben," Jeff said from the doorway. "I'm gonna kick your ass."

I saw Ben toss him a controller. "Let's make a deal, I win, this stays between the three of us, you win, you can tell whoever you like."

"What if Brina wins?"

"What makes you think she'd win?"

I looked at him, twirling the game remote on the tip of my finger with telekinesis. "Ben, once I know an opponent, it is highly likely I will win. Then again, it'll be between myself and Jeff if I win rather than you. Plus… I know Jeff's real-life fighting style to an extent, so there is a sixty-seven percent chance I will win this."

"Precise… okay. One of us has to be your fighting buddy for a day, and this stays between us three."

I grinned. "Five rounds to decide the winner?"

"Done."

Ben started up the game, and we played a the rounds, seeing who would win the bet. Ben and Jeff tied for second with one win, while I had three wins. I could see both of them were nervous. I got up, stretching, and went over to the door.

"Wait! How will we know who you picked for winning?"

I flashed both of them a smile. "Oh, you'll know tomorrow morning."

I walked out, feeling triumphant, and found Jane, Laughing Jack, Eyeless Jack, Sally, and Bloody Painter in the living room.

"Hey Jane!"

"Oh, Brina. How are you?"

"I'm great. How have you been, are you liking this life?"

"It's nothing like homeless city life. Somewhat quieter, but I can't complain with Slender doing all the cooking."

I dropped my voice to a whisper, getting closer to her. I made sure nobody else was listening as I whispered in her ear. "Do you mind if I take Jeff as my fighting bud for a day?"

"Not at all, as long as I can watch."

"You will know tomorrow morning."

She nodded, and I sat down in my usual seat next to Sally. I watched the news, wanting to know the weather. No rain was likely for the next two days, never mind the week, increasing my good mood even more. I was still a little nervous about sleeping in Slenderman's bed again, but less so after making the muffins. I mentally scoffed at how such a simple thing like that made me even more comfortable around him. The sun finally sank below the horizon, and everyone began dispersing. I simply teleported to my closet in my new room, getting dressed into my most comfortable pajamas and laying down in the bed, settling under the sheets. A faint noise made me look around, seeing the door open and light stream in. It was him, and he noticed me already under the sheets. I smiled, but turned on my side, closing my eyes and falling into stasis.

* * *

I made Sally's silverware dance again as we waited, eventually picking up Jeff's knife, and pointing it straight at him. I heard him grumble, and smirked.

"I didn't ask for this shit, Brina."

"You should have left us alone, yesterday."

"Well I was gonna join Ben since I thought you bailed."

"Better luck next time."

"Yeah... right."

Breakfast went by quickly, Jane following me and Jeff out to the clearing. I saw him take his knife out, but I knew he wasn't excited. I stretched, yawning.

"Whenever you're ready, Jeff," I said, pulling out a bronze sword.

Jeff bounded toward me, but I teleported out of the way a split second before he hit. I ended up a few feet away, just to anger him. "So you're gonna pull that fucking teleporting shit. Why am I not surprised?"

"Maybe because you've fought Slender too many times."

Again he lunged at me, this time I teleported behind him and poked his side with my sword. He yelped, and I moved out of his reach.

"Stop doing that!"

"No way, toying with you is fun."

"If you picked me as your 'fighting buddy,' why are you just playing games!?"

I chuckled. "Do you really want me to become serious and severely injure you?"

"Yeah, so we can get this over with."

"Oh? Well in that case…"

"I wasn't serious."

I fought back my crazed personality. "You're lucky I can control myself. Otherwise, you'd be laying on the ground right now."

"Stop trying to scare me. It's not working."

"Seemed to work just a few seconds ago… but I'm bored now. Let's fight!"

* * *

I saw purple staining the ground below me, I coughed up more blood, adding to the slowly growing pool. A hoarse laugh left my lips as the world faded around me, leaving me to the death realm. Jeff had given it his all, actually defeating me. I could see the wild look in his eyes as he stared at my corpse, so I showed myself as a ghost.

"Holy shit! Stay the fuck back!"

I stayed where I was, even backing away a little. I looked at my body, inspecting the wounds. Some were slashes, most were stab wounds, though. I saw clearly where he had literally twisted the knife in the wound, wincing at the painful memory. I had died from blood loss and my punctured heart and lungs. My bronze sword was still tightly in my body's grasp.

 _I am surprised you defeated me._

"So you can… talk, even though you're a ghost?"

 _Yes. It is similar to the way Ben can talk, however I must speak through telepathy or another living being when I wish to talk while dead._

"How long will it take for your body to heal?"

 _It shouldn't be long now… you can leave. I'll return in a few moments._

Sure enough, just as they went to leave, my body began healing over, the punctured organs healed and the skin closed over them. I disappeared, pulled back into my body, and woke up. I sat up slowly, a migraine pounding in my head as I ate some gems and minerals, dematerializing the sword for another time. Downing a glass of mercury, I felt infinitely better, besides my headache. I got up and followed their trail, finding them on the sofa.

"Hey, Jeff."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks, I got what I wanted today. You're a worthy opponent."

"Really? You wanted defeat?"

"It just tells me I have room to grow. I don't know if you noticed, but I had used some of your own attacks and counters on you."

I felt Slenderman teleport into the room, and turned to see a surprising sight. He held a cake.

"You've been here one full year, Enderbrina. I don't know your real birthday, but I thought you might enjoy a cake in celebration."

"Oh, um… thank you… you didn't have to, Slenderman."

"I insist. This is for all of us, have some cake with us. Laughing Jack picked it out."

"Since your favorite candy is orange, I made sure it had orange flavored frosting," Laughing Jack giggled. "What do you think, tootsie pop?"

"Thank you, LJ."

"They, unfortunately, didn't get you any presents."

"You didn't need to. A cake is more than enough, even though I'll be sharing it."

Soon, we were all enjoying the cake with the orange-flavored frosting. I had received the largest slice, since it was _sort of_ my birthday.

"We usually celebrate on Hallowe'en morning, getting presents for each other and celebrating our birthdays. We didn't know what to get you, though."

"I already said it's fine you didn't get me anything. If you really want to, get me a present next year on Hallowe'en, but I really don't need anything, I can have anything I want whenever I like."

"That's true… we forgot about that. Anyway, we decided to actually get you a present, but not a physical one."

"What is it?"

"You'll find out later."

"Um… okay…"

I began thinking of different things they could have gotten me, but was stopped by Slenderman. He told me I would never guess it. Giving up, I found a long, colorfully wrapped box in front of me once I had finished my cake, placed there by Slenderman.

"I thought—"

"I didn't say 'we,' I said, 'they,' meaning everyone besides myself."

"Wow… well… thank you…"

"Open it."

I scratched open the wrapping, finding a plain box inside. Confused, I pulled at the flaps keeping it closed. I flinched, keeping my eyes closed when it flew open and my hands slipped off the flaps. When I opened my eyes, I saw a masterfully crafted sword, made of pure platinum. I could see runes carved into the flat of the blade itself, and recognized the indestructible rune. They were carved so small, it almost looked like decoration. It laid in black velvet. When I picked it up, the leather grip also had runes carved into it. It was a regular straight sword, but was double-edged.

"Sharp enough to slice through steel."

"Wow," I breathed. "This must have cost you a fortune!"

"No, I only paid for the metal itself. I formed the rest."

"Thank you!" I laid the sword carefully in the velvet again and hugged him tightly.

"You should practice with it. You'll never know when you might need it."

I nodded and grabbed the sword, teleporting outside. The sky was slowly darkening, but I materialized Gran in front of me. I looked at the slightly blue, silver blade. I looked back at Gran, it was looking behind me, and became confused, but was instantly on guard. I sent out a quick scan for presences behind me, and realized everyone was slowly approaching me, silent. I dematerialized Gran, and noticed they picked up their pace. I grinned deviously, my crazed side rising up, taking hold on me. I giggled insanely, unable to control it. When it stopped long enough for me to talk, I looked up, taking a deep breath as I spoke.

"I know you're all there… what's taking so long to just attack me?"

When I turned around, they were in a semi-circle, everyone smiling as if they were looking at a victim. A wild grin formed on my face, and I attacked. I went for Bloody Painter first, pushing my new sword into a sheath strapped to my waist, as he had brought no weapon to fight besides his fists. He tried a right hook, but I caught it and kicked for his side. He caught my ankle and tossed me away from the circle. I rolled on the ground, sure at least one of my ribs had cracked after rolling into a tree root. Barely feeling the pain, I grew my wings and tail, heading back into the fight, drawing my sword again. Bloody Painter dodged my first few swings, but I slashed open his arm on the fourth. The smell of blood ignited my bloodlust into a raging bonfire, a laugh escaping me again, though it was more like a shriek.

"Playtime's over now! Better give it your all," I laughed.

After incapacitating the Bloody Painter, I moved onto Ben, who had talons instead of fingers now, water flooding from him. I hovered out of the stream, and swung my sword at him. My crazed state made quick work of him, and soon he was his normal self, on the ground in a slowly growing puddle of blood. A quick heal kept him alive, and then came Eyeless Jack, who had a weapon besides his own body. It was a clean scalpel, thankfully, but I had a few cuts of my own at this point. I swooped in, taking him high into the air with me, his scalpel useless as I dropped him and fell with him, slashing with my sword, making him spin. I made sure to slow his fall so whiplash wouldn't kill him, and dropped him to the ground once the slow had him stopped and he was in my arms. Jeff attacked next, with Jane at his side.

I found myself blocking two knives, one jagged and one smooth. Before I knew it, they were both on the ground, but many stab wounds were making me weaker by the second. I breathed heavily, and looked to see Laughing Jack and Slenderman were left. Sally had stayed on the steps of the mansion, watching with interest. Laughing Jack giggled as he approached me.

"Think you can defeat me, Brina," he laughed.

"Maybe," I giggled back.

I plunged my sword into his side before he could move away, making a pained look come over his face. He fell to the ground in a heap. I looked to Slenderman, who seemed to be grinning.

"You shouldn't fight me, remember?"

I knew what he meant, and my bloodlust had been sated. I went around to everyone, healing them, collapsing when I finished, my energy gone. I felt tentacles wrap around me, pulling me up off the ground and into cold yet welcoming arms. I was sure I blushed, but I didn't care at the moment. A wave of dizziness put me to sleep.

* * *

 ***Everything is going smoothly so far... also, no, none of them died. Enderbrina used up the last of her energy to heal all of them before needing to rest. Don't worry, they're all just fine. So don't flame me. Also, yes, they did kind of let her win. Laughing Jack would not be defeated that easily. At least, not in my mind.***


	9. Chapter 9

***I'm not quite sure what to put here, this Author's Note doesn't really need to be here... so, enjoy, I guess. See you at the end of the chapter.***

* * *

 _Wake up, my dear. You have been asleep through the night._

I knew it was Slenderman. My senses began to come back to me, numbness fleeing my body. Finally, my eyes forced themselves open. I became aware of a soft surface beneath me. A gentle hand on my back helped me into a sitting position.

"How are you feeling?"

"I feel great. Thank you for such a wonderful sword, it means a lot more to me than you might realize."

"I know just how much it means to you. Perhaps you forgot I can look into your mind."

I laughed softly. "It must have slipped my mind," I said, mimicking him from Hallowe'en night.

"Darkness is still waiting to give you a present. I kept the lights off for that reason."

I saw the silky, fog-like being form a humanoid, and it held out a wrapped box. It wasn't very big, but it was rectangular. It was shaped almost like the box Sally had received from Laughing Jack with her giant gummy bear. Scratching open the wrapping paper, I found myself becoming excited. I saw white faux fur as I pulled off the top of the box, and a bear was in the box. It was… strange; it vaguely reminded me of the faceless being sitting next to me. It had no face, though it had a snout with a little white nose. It wore the cutest tuxedo, with a blood-red tie. It had white gloves on as well, and shiny black dress shoes. I couldn't help giggling.

"Thank you, Darkness. I love it, even if its a little odd for a gift."

"A stuffed animal is a companion you can tell anything, and trust not to tell a secret."

I laughed. "Just like you, and Slender."

I hugged the bear tightly, and leaned against Slenderman. "This has been the best year of my life, ever… I spent the last of my time in my previous home without happiness. Now… I have more friends than ever, and someone who means a lot to me."

He put his arm around me. I felt warmth blossom in my heart, and knew instantly what it was. Then, what he said made my heart stop for a moment. "The strange feeling I had before has changed, Enderbrina."

Wait, what? I verbalized my confusion, looking up at him with fear pricking my heart. "What do you mean?"

"Not to worry, I know what it was. It was a deep sort of interest. Your thoughts helped me realize, that I have indeed found love."

My jaw went slack. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Darkness disperse, leaving me alone with the open box, the bear, and Slenderman. Fear gripped my heart as Slenderman took the bear from my hands and placed it on the bed beside us. His hands closed around one of mine.

"Who do you love?"

"That should be obvious, Enderbrina. It is you, my dear. I love _you."_

My head whirled. Yes, I knew we had a relationship, but I had never expected to hear him say those words, and to me of all people. I took a deep breath, and I heard a soft chuckle from him. I looked up at him again. I smiled, and hugged him, my face buried in his tuxedo. As his arms encircled me, I took note of a pleasant smell, finding the source to be him. I could smell his scent, he smelled of pine trees with a hint of something sweet I couldn't quite name. As we moved away, I slipped my hand into his, still amazed at the sharp contrast of his pale white skin to my black metallic skin.

"You have a childish mind at times."

"I can't help it…"

"How so?"

"Take a look," I replied, inviting him to link our minds. "You'll find answers in my childhood."

I felt the connection, slow and gentle. Memories I knew all too well were brought up, shown to me again. It brought tears to my eyes, seeing my mother and father again, feeling the gnawing, painful hunger. Then, I saw the one time we had been invited to a neighbor's house, and had eaten well for once. Then, the stalking began, and my house was kept away from. Once the memories subsided, I found myself crying, his hand on my arm. I took a deep breath, pushing his comforting hand away.

"I'm fine, really. Thank you for trying to comfort me, but its just that those memories make me miss my first century and everything that happened."

"It does not seem that you are fine."

"I am, I promise."

Silence drew out, and he went to wipe away my tears, but I stopped him.

"What are you doing?"

"Drying your tears, like any gentleman would do for his lady."

"Okay, first off," I giggled, "They're not normal tears made of saltwater. They're made mercury, and I know you're supernatural but mercury is poisonous. Second, when should you ever call yourself a gentleman? You're not a man, you should be calling yourself a gentlemonster."

I saw him stiffen, and fell back, giggling. I heard a ripping sound. His mouth had torn open, his tentacles swayed behind him. A dark aura made my head spin, but fear kept me awake.

"Well then… I can see you can't take a joke. I didn't mean to offend you… its just a joke, not meant to be taken seriously, ever."

I heard the skin stretching back together, and looked at him; he was still slightly upset.

"You know, it amazes me just how fast you can change, but I should have expected that, I suppose… we _were_ in a more serious state of mind." I looked over at my new teddy bear. "I wonder if I'm too old for stuffed animals," I said, picking up the bear and placing it my lap. "After all, I'm almost three-hundred-fifty years old."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. I don't know, this looks so much like you, if you were a harmless stuffed bear, that is."

"You should know most of all I am not _harmless._ Far from it."

"I know."

I looked up at him, tossing the bear to my pillow, and leaned into him again. I looked at the clock, it was nearly time for breakfast.

"I woke in the middle of the night… you said I had been resting for most of the night."

"Yes, the sun sets earlier now. It was only a few minutes after dark when you collapsed."

"Oh. Well, look at the time. Shouldn't you be making breakfast?"

"I will be momentarily. Are you joining us this morning?"

"No, I'm not hungry. Thank you, though."

He teleported away, to the kitchen. I picked up my bear again and sat against the wall on his side of the bed. The faceless bear stared back emotionless, not even a knitted mouth to show its ever-happy or ever-sad expression. Just a nose. The lights were on now, making the faux fur shine in spots. I was still in shock that a monster like Slenderman had actually said those three words, and not as if I were family. He wanted me, not Jane, or any of the human women. Nobody had ever wanted me for… a girlfriend, except for that one time back in Minecraft. I drew my knees to my chest, holding the bear still, unsure about what to do in this sort of situation. I loved him too, but it was all so new to me.

 _I do love him… he said we should take this one step at a time, didn't he? Or… one day at a time? Whatever he said… I agree._

* * *

"I wonder, what's it like when you screen-jump?"

"It's almost like how you teleport."

"In what way?"

"Well, once I go into the computer, I have to go out, whether it be through the same screen, or another screen."

"Any screen?"

"Even on those fancy phones the humans invented. Well, they call them phones, but they're really just pocket-sized computers that can take and receive calls, text, and do almost anything. They even play games on the damn things."

"Huh… I remember Garry and Jane offering me one at some point but I never accepted. With my skin being metallic, I didn't know if I had any magnetic metals in me, and didn't want to ruin it the second I touched it."

"Yeah, but with Slender, he can't even be near those things or it causes interference. That's usually how they know he's around, even though they believe he's just a myth or legend, like the rest of us."

"They've seen me in person…"

"Yeah, I know. That was some pretty cool stuff that first couple nights, where you disappeared in the distance with black fog around you."

"Darkness, the living being."

"Wait… what?"

 _No need to be afraid, Benjamin. I won't hurt you._

"What else do you have for surprises?"

Darkness formed a humanoid so it could speak aloud, and sat on one of the pillows near me.

"Darkness can transport living beings if it consumes them. No alteration to mind or soul will be made, but the body will disintegrate into it for the time it transports the living thing. It is also the one that controls whether I get power or not."

"Can't Slendy speak to it, too?"

"I believe so…"

"He can," Darkness confirmed. "All beings in this forest are able to speak with me, and any that live outside must be well in-tune with evil to know of me. That being said, when Enderbrina landed here, I was quite surprised, I did not know the powerful being in her original home could do such a thing."

"It must suck to be just taken away from your home."

"I ended up in a better place, in all honesty. Being here, I have more friends than I had before, and someone who actually cares about me."

"So you don't want to see your brother ever again?"

I looked away from the screen, I had been watching him play, not really wanting to join. "It's not that I don't want to, but I know I can't. I really would like to see him again, but…" I shook my head. "Apparently my life has different ideas."

I stood up from the beanbag chair, not interested in talking any further. When I opened the door, I wasn't surprised to see Jeff, and let him in. I went out into the hallway and went to Shadow's room. He purred and nuzzled my hand. He had grown to be the size of a bobcat. The tufts on his ears were adorable.

"Hey, Shadow. How are you doing?"

He purred and meowed, and I scratched his chin.

"Good to know."

 _Where have you been?_

 _In the forest. I know we're supposed to be companions but I find I like living in the forest better._

 _Well, then you can live in the forest, but know that you always have a home here._

 _Okay. Thanks._

After teleporting us outside, I watched Shadow go, his tail disappearing into the dark underbrush. I saw his reflective eyes flash, and then he was gone. I sighed as I turned to go to the living room, but was stopped by Slenderman.

"Oh! Hi, didn't realize you were there."

"Was that your companion?"

"The cat? Yeah, that was him. He likes living in the forest. Why?"

"Interesting. He was a large cat."

"He's special. I told him he'd always have a home here if he needed one."

"Very well."

I stepped back, and teleported to the kitchen, him following. "I don't suppose you heard me thinking earlier?"

"I did, in fact."

"Oh…"

"There is nothing to be afraid of. You must realize even I can feel. I do have human emotions, even though I am not one."

"I know you have human emotions, I've seen it. I have them too."

"Then why are you afraid?"

"Because, as strange as it sounds, I love you. I've never loved or have been loved by anybody other than family or animal companions. Loving someone who wasn't family was never a part of my life before."

"You are overthinking this."

"Right, one day at a time…"

I managed to feel less afraid, it had never been fear of him since I realized our mutual attraction, it was fear of becoming attached, as had happened with my brother. A deep sigh was all I heard from him as he took a step closer to me, his height at its lowest. I felt a little dizzy as he teleported us to our room, not knowing he had even made contact with me. Once my vision cleared again, I found his hands were on my shoulders; I felt as if he was inspecting me for some reason.

"Are you okay, Slender?"

"I am fine. Apparently, you did not notice the time. It is night."

"Don't you want to go into town with me, though? We'll catch some humans and play with them."

"Play with them?" I could hear amusement in his tone.

"Like we used to when I first arrived, capture one and chase them around in the forest."

"I do believe you've reached perfection," he purred in my ear. "You have convinced me. Lead the way, my dear."

I giggled and grew my wings and tail, a spring in my step as I walked toward the stairs, gliding on my wings down to the ground floor. I turned to see Slenderman following me, but the only problem was, I _couldn't_ see him. I could feel his presence following close behind me, and he moved up beside me, or at least, his presence did. I felt a hand take mine, and instantly knew what he was doing. He was invisible to the world around him. I smirked and he walked beside me, still invisible, until we were in the forest.

"It's so quiet. Is it because of you?"

"Normally I do not scare off the wildlife, however, tonight I am feeling somewhat excited. It has been a while since I have chased a human, and could smell their fear strongly."

"Why has it been so long?"

"I have been busy."

"Oh. I hope I wasn't hindering you in any way."

"Of course not."

We reached the edge of the forest. I knew he turned invisible again, and his contact with my hand disappeared. I nearly trembled with excitement, my tail probably swaying wildly because of my thrill.

 _Where shall we go?_

 _I believe I said you should lead the way._

 _Alright, then I suppose you should follow._

I walked out of the thicket, Darkness clinging to my feet as I continued down the road, directly into the city. I was known as a killer here, but I could walk where I liked. I felt gang members cowering as I walked past "their" alleyways, and glanced around for the largest building.

 _Good or bad, they are scared of me._

 _It is because they are weak little humans. Pay no mind to their cowering, we shall have our fun nonetheless._

 _Would you like to pick which ones we take?_

 _Very much so._

 _Go ahead, then._

I felt his presence move away from me as I stopped right in front of an alley. I fixed the gang approaching me with a glare, a smirk on my face. I folded my wings to my back, watching them approach and surround me. I looked around, six guns pointed at me, the leader with a knife. He also wore a smirk, eyeing me in a sick way.

"Don't move, Night Hunter."

"But my wings will get stiff. Surely I can stretch them if I need to?"

"What part of don't move do you not get? Fine. Unfold them, but not enough to get away."

I played along with their little act, letting my wings hang open slightly, and watching the leader's expression. I heard his intentions, they were mostly unsavory.

"We heard you were a pretty thing. We wanna see how deep that beauty goes."

"And here I was, worrying nobody was interested in me. You do realize you'd be committing taboo, though, don't you?"

"You can't take all of us on at once in a fight, girly."

"You know, you're right." I saw Slenderman appear behind the leader, drawing the attention of the thugs behind me. "I can't, but he can."

The leader turned around, the six thugs around me training their weapons on him. I heard the rounds fire, but apparently he just teleported back and forth out of the way, it looked like his image was wavering while the rounds went off. I saw some thugs look out of the other alleyways, but apparently only myself and the current attacking gang could see Slenderman, because they all looked at the gang like they were crazy. I heard faint static and ringing, but it didn't hurt, as it was directed at the circle of thugs. They all crumbled to their knees, and I walked up to the two he had specified. I placed one hand on the back of their necks, and brought them to the forest, separated from the other. They were unconscious. My stomach rumbled, and I looked up at Slenderman, wondering how long it would take for them to wake up.

 _Not long, they will wake within five minutes._

 _Good, I'm quite hungry._

 _I heard._

We split up, waiting for the thugs to wake up.

 _They're on the move. The hunt is on!_

 _One for each of us._

I grinned, materializing my platinum and bronze swords, and a belt with two sheathes, one for each weapon. The platinum glinted softly in the dim moonlight, as well as the bronze. I laid the bronze sword on the ground, where the soft reflected light would be seen. Dimming the glow of my eyes to nothing, I hopped up into a tree and watched for a beam of light from a flashlight to hit the sword. I waited, and sure enough, there was the beam of light. I felt Slenderman was also prolonging his chase, and smiled wider at the thought. The darkness in this forest was unnatural, making the hunt more fun. I followed the human on foot after he picked up my sword and moved on, hiding my sword behind my back. He seemed more confident with the sword, but still looked behind himself every now and then. He would always stop before doing so. I was closing in, and when he looked behind him for what seemed like the hundredth time, I took the time to run around in front of him, brandishing my sword. He cried out when he saw me standing in front of him, my glowing eyes being the one thing he saw as he dropped his flashlight, stumbling into a sitting position against the nearest tree.

"I believe you have something of mine," I giggled, bloodlust getting the better of me. "Give it back, and I might let you live for a little longer."

He held out the sword with trembling hands to me, and I took it, careful not to maim him. Sliding it back into its sheath, I sat down on his legs, not too close to his waist, and smiled down at him.

"Now, tell me. What were you doing working for such a nasty man? Did he threaten you?"

"Y-y-yes! He threatened to kill my family!"

"No need to be so afraid," I cooed. "I know the thought of being eaten isn't pleasant, but I'll make your death quick, and as painless as possible. Isn't that at least a little comforting?"

His breathing slowed, and I moved us closer to the tree, making him sit up as I moved a little closer, and he blushed. "Y-yeah… it is…"

"Goodbye, human."

"Goodbye, Enderbrina…"

I plunged the sword through his neck, killing him quickly. I was finishing eating when Slenderman teleported to me. Not one drop of blood was on me, and I felt accomplished with this realization.

"It seems you played with your food. Didn't your parents ever tell you not to do that?"

"Of course, and I listened at the time. Now, who's going to stop me?"

He chuckled, holding out a bloodstained hand to me. I took it and we were instantly back at the mansion. I wasn't as dizzy as usual.

"I think I'm getting used to that," I said as we walked up the stairs. "I'm less dizzy, and we teleported farther than usual."

"That is good. I had fun tonight, we should do that again."

"I had fun, too. Did you hear what those thugs' leader was saying? I couldn't take all of them in a fight, how funny! Obviously they didn't really know how powerful I am."

"However, you are not as powerful as I am."

"Yeah, I know. Can we go to the balcony tonight, before the moon sets?"

"Of course."

We were there instantly, but the moon was only showing half tonight. It was waning, meaning the new moon was coming. I wondered what the view would look like on the new moon night, but enjoyed the scenery while it lasted. The leaves were a silvery green, and the grass seemed to have a light glow about it. I rested my hands on the railing, knowing Slenderman was watching; I could feel his unseen eyes on me.

"I don't know why, but this view always seems so… as strange as it sounds, magical."

"I remember the first night I saw it. I had never imagined the world would be so beautiful, but the moon is what really makes everything beautiful."

I turned and looked at him. "Did you ever wonder what it's like to live there?"

"Live where?"

"The moon."

"Why would I want to?"

Turning back, I looked up at the half-moon. "I used to live there. It's quite desolate… very little plant life grows, but it was food. Nobody but the poor would eat it, though, everyone else always relied on food that the humans would send to us. I understand why, it wasn't very filling."

"It seems as if your family was poor."

"Didn't you see that in my memories?"

"It was not apparent with what I saw."

"Oh…"

"You have your abilities now. You do not need money anymore."

He hugged me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder, his hands placed on my stomach.

"Slender…"

"Yes, my dear?"

"I love you."

"The feeling is mutual."

"I'm tired."

"The sun will be rising soon. You will miss breakfast again."

"That's okay, I had dinner."

I knew he was disappointed, but he teleported us to our bedroom anyhow. I went into my closet, taking a fresh pair of pajamas, and getting them on. I noticed these had spots in the back for my wings. The bottoms had an opening for my tail as well, so I kept my wings and tail while I slept. I did not dream, but I was not in stasis either. All I dreamt of was an endless black abyss.

* * *

Then a voice sounded, _"You made it."_

" _Who's there?"_

 _"You remember me, Enderbrina."_

I saw Zalgo appear in front of me. I stared, afraid.

 _"Don't worry. I just want to know how you and Slenderman are doing."_

 _"We are well right now."_

 _"Good. I also came to warn you. His three brothers are coming. He does not know yet."_

 _"Can't you tell him!?"_

 _"I intend to visit later for that."_

 _"Okay…"_

 _"He is waiting for you. Wake up."_

* * *

I saw the wall in front of me, but it looked different. It was dark gray, and when I reached out to feel it, something that felt like a hand stopped me. I blinked, trying to clear away the fog of sleep. Once I could see clearly again, I saw Slenderman was laying on his side, probably waiting for me.

"What's wrong, Enderbrina?"

"Zalgo visited me in my sleep… he said something about brothers…"

"What!?"

Then he was gone, out on the steps of his mansion. I rubbed my eyes and got ready, willing away my tail and wings. I went outside to stand beside him, until a blast of heat hit me, signaling Zalgo's arrival.

"Why did you not tell me my brothers were coming, Zalgo? That is crucial information!"

"They are coming within the next hour. I already informed Enderbrina and everyone else."

"She is staying with me," he growled, pulling me to his side. "But thank you for informing everyone in advance."

"Why is this such a big deal, Slender?"

He sighed. "My brothers could not be more different from me. You will know when you meet them, I assure you."

Zalgo left. Slenderman's tone scared me. I simply nodded and he brought me over to the sofa, having me sit down. He sat down in the larger armchair that was likely meant for him.

"Can I sit with you," I asked nervously.

"I suppose, come over here."

As soon as I was next to the chair, he picked me up, and sat me down on his lap, facing sideways so I could watch the fire flicker in the fireplace. His arm stayed around my back, keeping me close.

"Why are you so worried? Even if they aren't like you, I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."

"I'm only worried about one of them. I'm sure you'll be great friends with the other two."

"You know I can take care of myself," I assured him, leaning forward and holding onto his far shoulder.

"That does not mean you should trifle with my brothers. They may not be as powerful as I am, but they are still well above you."

"Okay, I'll be careful, then. Happy?"

"Alright. Stay behind me, they will be here in a few moments."

I did, staying in the chair behind him and waiting. I felt for the presences of the others, and found they were all in Ben's room. I was surprised I hadn't heard a sound, but they might have been playing on mute.

 _They made arrangements so his room is soundproof. We won't hear anything._

 _Oh, good…_

In all honesty, I was nervous. Questions ran through my head, none of them sounding very pleasant. Were they killing machines instead of only killing when they needed to? Did they torture innocents instead of those who got too close to the forest? What did they live in? Old cabins like he had before, or mansions of their own? When had he seen them last? Did they all have their own unique personalities? Well, yes, of course to that last one. What would they think of me? And my abilities?

" _Stop worrying," you tell me. Now you are the one worrying. Perhaps you should take your own advice._

 _Sorry…_

An uncomfortable silence continued. Seconds seemed like hours, until I felt three presences enter the room, accompanied by three very similar men to the one whose hand I was holding. A joy-filled voice shattered the deafeningly quiet atmosphere.

"Brother!"

* * *

 ***Well, we know who that is, unless you know nothing of the Creepypastas. Follow, Fave and Review! Seriously, it actually helps a lot. Anyway, I'll see you in the next chapter!***


	10. Chapter 10

***So, as you likely know if you've read about the other three brothers, there is one called Trenderman. He has an accent (I'm not entirely sure if its French or English) but because Enderbrina doesn't even know what "English" or "French" is, she just labels it as an accent. Enjoy!***

* * *

I could only barely see the other three men, unable to get a good look at them. The joyful voice spoke again.

"It's so good to see you!"

"Hello, Splendor."

"Boring as always, I see," said a gravelly voice. "Where's Janey? I saw her last time we were here, not too long ago."

"Out. Everyone is, in fact."

"Who's that in the chair behind you, then?" That voice sounded more friendly, with a more pronounced accent than the Bloody Painter's, with a good helping of sass.

Slenderman stepped out of the way, revealing me. I waved shyly to the three "Slenders" in the room. One wore a similar tuxedo with multicolored polka-dots and a top hat. His face wasn't blank, it had a white mask with a happy face. I assumed he was Splendorman, just the way he was dressed and his jovial mask made his overall appearance — nearly literally — scream happiness. Looking at the next brother, he wore a dark brown… sweater? Polo? I couldn't tell what exactly his shirt was, but he wore some light tan pants that looked like fancy khakis and dress shoes that were the same color as his shirt. What surprised me, though, was that he wore glasses. I didn't doubt they had eyes, but being supernatural normally didn't come with many physical downsides, if any. I didn't know his name, but he was definitely someone who cared a lot about style. When I looked at the third brother, something instantly felt off. He was definitely a shady character. A fedora covered his — no doubt invisible — face from the nose up, a sharp-toothed smile always there. He wore a trench coat, some black slacks, and a simple pair of black shoes. A black tie hung down from his neck.

"I'm Enderbrina."

"What are you doing in that awful outfit," asked the one in glasses.

I kept my mouth shut, not knowing what to say.

"Trender, that's no way to greet such a lovely lady," said the one in the trench coat.

"Don't even start, Offender. No _lady_ would ever consent to being with you."

"I think she looks wonderful! Carefree and comfortable," Splendorman said, "Don't you think, Trender?"

I felt him staring at my dark clothing, feeling very self-conscious. I was anything but comfortable at this point, and began to blush involuntarily. I made the connection that the one with glasses was Trenderman, and the one with the trench coat was Offenderman. I only hoped I was right, but it seemed Trenderman was in designer clothes. So that would mean he was "trending" or "trendsetting," right?

"I know for a fact that her outfit is dreadfully out of date, just like yours, Slender. I already told you to change that last time we were all in one place, and look at you! Still in the same suit and tie! It shouldn't take more than a hundred years to find something new that you like!"

"You can't change my mind about it."

I was confused and overwhelmed. I turned and walked outside, fidgeting, until I saw Offenderman had followed me and was smoking a cigarette. I glanced at him nervously, keeping my eyes trained on the ground. Before I knew it, he was beside me, a purple rose shoved in my face.

"A lovely rose, for a lovely lady," he said, his voice had changed from gravelly to smooth.

"Um… no thanks, Offenderman…" I wasn't taking anything from this guy, he was way too shady for my liking.

"It's just a rose, no harm if you take it," he persisted. "And please, call me Smexy."

"U-uhm…"

Something clicked; I knew his full name wasn't Offenderman. I took a step back and called out mentally to Slenderman, who was by my side in moments. The purple rose was slapped away, onto the ground.

"Do not touch her," he growled.

"Of course not, Slender, you know I only offer ladies a beautiful rose."

"She isn't yours."

"And you think she's yours?"

"I am his," I growled back, taking Slenderman's hand. "Something tells me your full name isn't Offenderman."

That sharp-toothed grin widened. "Smart girl… you're correct, it isn't. It's Sexual Offenderman, but like I told you, call me Smexy."

I felt a light dizziness and we were back in the living room. For the rest of the day, I stayed near Slenderman, always holding his hand firmly while "Smexy" was in the room.

* * *

"So, you're the new Creepypasta, right? Your name is so different!"

Splendorman had offered to keep my company while Slenderman had to go out on some sort of business, which I didn't get to know about. "Actually, I'm not a Creepypasta, I'm from one of this world's video games. It's really strange and… uncomfortable to talk about."

"Well you're obviously not human," Trenderman stated, measuring my arms and head. "You have similar physique to both humans and us, surprisingly."

"I guess you could say I'm almost like a mixture of the two. Whoever made my kind for the video game, my previous home, got some inspiration from a fan that was really into Slenderman and his legend."

"A mixture?"

"I wasn't always this way. At some point I was just almost tall as Slenderman is normally, but then my brother changed me. I found my new body to be strange at the time, but I'm used to it now."

 _Sorry to bother you, but you said you left a bowl with gemstones for me in the kitchen?_

 _Yes, my dear, help yourself._

 _Thanks._

"I'm a bit hungry, Slender left some snacks for me in the kitchen. Is it okay if I go get them?"

"Of course, I've been waiting to measure your legs!"

"Okay then…" I stood up and went into the kitchen, Trenderman on my heels.

I could practically feel his tape measure unrolling and re-rolling as he continued measuring me. I saw the small bowl filled with precious gems, nearly salivating at the delicious, uncut beauties. I picked the bowl up and turned around, halfway through a bite of the ruby on top when I saw Splendorman had followed, both of the protecting brothers confused at what they saw. I ate the ruby, still so self-conscious.

"Uh… what," I asked.

"Slender didn't tell us you ate precious gems."

"Well I could tell you more about it… if you want."

"Please do."

They must have teleported back to the living room. Slenderman had said to keep my abilities a secret until he got back, so I couldn't grow my wings and tail, which was getting a bit uncomfortable. I followed on foot, sitting back down as Trenderman scribbled away at a notepad. I explained how I hadn't eaten humans until I met Slenderman, getting a groan from Trenderman when the explanation was over.

"Is that why you wear such awful clothing, Enderbrina? Really, hon, it looks awful, and that lipstick _so_ doesn't match it."

"This isn't lipstick… my lips are just naturally purple and my skin is naturally black. It's because of my diet, and if I don't eat gems and minerals and such, I become really sick until I do get some." I was becoming frustrated. I liked my dark clothing, and no matter what Mr. I-Know-Everything-About-Fashion said, I was not changing my opinion. "I get it, you're the 'fashion master,' but I really don't think I need to wear anything different. In fact, my entire kind wears stuff like this. Plus, it's easy to fight in these clothes. The fabric stretches plenty and still retains its shape."

"You mean you're naturally black and purple?"

"Yes. Can't you work with that? I like green and blue as well."

"I have something that would look perfect on you!"

I sighed, happy to have somewhat satisfied at least one of the brothers. I looked over at Splendorman, his tentacles had appeared. I saw bells on the end of them, even the slightest movement made them jingle happily.

"What am I supposed to do now," I wondered aloud.

"Knock knock," Splendorman giggled.

"Who's there," I replied, knowing how these jokes usually went.

"Boo!"

"Boo who?"

"Don't cry, Enderbrina!"

I cracked a smile, seeming to satisfy Splendorman as he kept telling me jokes. His happiness was contagious. I felt an intrusion in my mind, and knew it was Slenderman.

 _You may tell them, I will be back momentarily._

"Finally!"

"I didn't say finally."

"Sorry, orange who?"

"Orange you glad I didn't say banana?"

I laughed. "Okay, everyone knows that one. But… I said finally, because Slenderman is coming back, which means I can tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"Well, all of you…"

The other two brothers appeared in the room shortly after, and I grew my wings and tail, stretching the appendages.

"Ah, that's better…"

"She has wings…"

"And a tail," I heard Slenderman say behind me. "She also can do something I would have never imagined another being could do."

"What's that?"

I teleported backwards to stand by him. "I can teleport just like all of you."

"SHE. HAS. WINGS," Trenderman screeched, obviously upset. "I can't believe I didn't see that as an option! I thought the two holes in the back of her shirt seemed odd, but I assumed it was similar to tentacles or maybe she was really obsessed with you. But wings!"

"Well, I'm the first one with wings you want to design clothes for, aren't I?"

"You're right… This could be a whole new line of clothing, and I'll need a name for the new line!"

"Well, you've certainly made his… day, or month…"

"What a freak of a woman," Smexy growled. "Beastly, even."

"Keep your hands off me," I warned. "I may look like I'm only fifty, but I assure you, I have plenty of abilities at my disposal that can keep even fuckers like you at bay."

"And a sharp tongue. Even better," he retorted, grinning wide.

"I bet the humans think you're scary, Enderbrina!"

"They do, Splendor. But, not as terrifying as any of you might seem. One of the humans I killed recently was too entranced by me as I went to kill it."

"Well, you are beautiful, my dear," Slenderman chuckled. "Fatally so, it seems."

I giggled. "Guilty." I stretched my wings, eyeing Splendorman, who was currently trying to get Offenderman to listen to his jokes. "Hey, Splendor, you wanna see something cool?"

"Of course! What is it?"

"It's a surprise, but I can't really do it in here. I need a lot of space for it."

I teleported outside, Splendorman quickly following as I walked down the stairs. There wasn't a cloud in sight, and before hearing about Slenderman's brothers visiting, I had planned to go for a quick flight.

"Seems like today is going perfectly for me. I get to meet new people, and I still get to do my favorite thing."

"Do it already! I'm dying to see!"

"I think you're my favorite of the brothers, Splendor, you're definitely the most fun out of the four of you."

I jumped into the air for the first time in what felt like months, feeling the air rush over my wings. I looked down to see Splendorman's face, but couldn't quite gauge what it looked like from my altitude. I flew lower, seeing his face turn from surprise to glee. I hovered for a moment, and then landed near him.

"I knew those wings weren't just for show! My little bro is really lucky."

"Perhaps there is something from the human world you'd like? I might not be defined as a killer there quite yet, so name it and I'll get it for you."

"Anything!?"

"Anything."

"A ukulele!"

"Uh… okay."

I flew off, landing on the outskirts of town, and wandered around, greeting a few who were out walking. I was surprised I had managed to keep up my facade for so long, and went into a music store, asking if they had any ukuleles for sale. The clerk pointed to some shelves, and there was a wide range of them there. I picked one up, giving the strings a gentle strum. I tested a few of them, until I found one I hoped Splendorman would like, and decided on it.

"How much do I owe you?"

"Can you do me a favor, instead?"

"I would rather pay for it, sir. I have the money."

"Well, uh…"

I sighed. Materializing two one-kilogram bars of gold, I set them on the counter and left, sure it would be more than enough to cover the cost. I teleported back to the forest, and held out the ukulele to Splendorman.

"Here you go! I hope you like it."

"It's wonderful, thank you!"

I felt happy that he was enjoying the instrument so far, not that it had been a hassle to get it. He began strumming a tune and singing. I giggled at hearing Offenderman's voice yelling at him to stop it. They weren't a normal family, that was for sure, but they were quite funny. Slenderman appeared beside me as I headed off to our bedroom.

"You've made two of my brothers happy. I know Splendor likes you, but I'm not quite sure about Trender. You've given him an idea for a line of clothing, but that doesn't mean he will like you just because of that. Offender, he only likes you for your looks."

"I've figured that out. Hey, what about everyone else?"

"I just informed them they were safe to come out."

"So how did Offender know about Jane?"

"The week you were unconscious, they visited for a day. This time, however, they are staying. I do not know how long their visit will last, but if Offender tries anything, let me know."

"I will, but he won't get to me without me knowing it."

"How do you know?"

"He doesn't dress like you," I said, tilting my head enough to look at Slenderman walking beside me. Sure enough, no ever-present sharp smile was there. "Plus your voices sound completely different."

"You can tell us apart just by our voices?"

"I can. Splendor has a higher-pitched voice than the rest of you, its obvious enough to me. Offender has two, gravelly when he's just about, but then when he's trying to woo a woman, it turns deep and smooth. A lot like yours, but his is deeper, almost where its menacing. Trender has an accent, and his voice sounds kinda friendly."

"Interesting."

"I'm a monster, I have better senses than the average human."

"That is true."

Once in pajamas, I laid facing Slenderman, who moved me closer to him. I blushed, and closed my eyes.

"Sleep well, my dear. I shall be here when you wake."

* * *

"No way! I will leave!"

"Jane, it's only for a few weeks."

"I don't care! That… _thing_ caused me enough trouble last time! I don't need him clinging to me every hour of the damn day so he can find a good time to get me in bed!"

I was not happy at breakfast that day. There was too much noise. I looked up at Slenderman, who also seemed very disappointed and annoyed. Looking back at the chaos, I thought to him.

 _I know we're technically a couple…_

 _Yes, and?_

 _Well, I was thinking we could spar today. Not fight, just spar and train our bodies, you know?_

 _If you'd like. I would recommend you use your hands, I may need my tentacles to keep my brothers from causing a fight._

 _I will, then. After this is over?_

 _By all means. This is grating on my nerves._

I could hear the anger in his tone. I sighed, helping with the dishes once everyone left. Jane had finally agreed to stay with Jeff at all times — if possible. Once the dishes were cleaned and dry, and put away, we were both itching for a fight. We teleported out in the clearing, getting ready before we sparred.

 _We will have to make sure we do not get carried away in the fight._

 _I was thinking it would be okay even if we did, I can't defeat you anyway. If I did, you would have either thrown the fight or it would be a fluke._

 _You are correct, but since becoming my… girlfriend, I feel it would be wrong. Do you not feel the same way?_

I tugged on the edge of my sleeve, bringing it back to my wrist. _Well, not exactly… my brother used to kill me all the time and we were as close as could be. If we were not adopted siblings, we would likely have been a couple._

 _Is that so?_

 _Yes, so feel free to treat this like a fight. I know you love me, you know I love you. This is practice, sometimes it can get out of hand._

A low growl sounded from behind me. I knew it was Offenderman, and sighed.

"Hello, Smexy," I said, nearly gagging on the name itself, along with the smell of the cigarettes he always smoked.

"What are you doing out here? You'll catch a cold," his smooth voice cooed. His hands placed themselves on my shoulders. "You should go back in the mansion."

I had tensed as soon as his hands had touched me. "Get… off," I growled.

"What was that, babe?"

"I said GET OFF!"

I whipped around, my sword swinging in. I stopped myself from chopping off his fingers, shoving my sword into his abdomen instead. I took a few steps back, aware of Slenderman close behind me. I realized how different their presences were. Using telekinesis, I twisted the sword and retracted it, letting it fly into my hand.

"That hurt, you little bitch," he growled.

"Good. Stay away from me."

He teleported away, and I looked up at Slenderman, who was still on edge.

"I am glad for that ability of yours. I cannot stand it when he touches you. The other two, I am fine with that."

"It's because of his… _'hobby,'_ you know that."

"I know. Are you still wanting to do this?"

"Yes. I am sure."

* * *

"Ugh… that was brutal…" I laughed, my throat feeling like sandpaper.

"You are hurting because of me."

"I'll be just fine, don't worry! Come on, you've seen this before."

I managed to get onto my feet, still laughing softly. I stretched, my wounds burning. I simply ate some gems and metal, as per usual, and with the nutrients, my body fixed itself, healing over.

"See? I'm fine."

"I still bothers me, I hurt you."

"Slender, I've got a fighter's spirit. It is natural for me to want to fight. Stop being so hard on yourself." I took his hand, walking back to the mansion with him. "If it makes you feel better, I'll fight with Gran from now on."

"That would be best."

"You shouldn't feel so guilty. I'm the one who asked for it."

He didn't answer after that. Jane was reluctantly clinging to Jeff's side as I sat down with Laughing Jack and Sally, finding a handful of orange candies in my hand.

"Thanks, LJ."

"So how did it go," I heard Bloody Painter ask.

"Pretty good. I healed up before I came in, didn't want purple everywhere."

I folded my wings a little, leaning back against the sofa as we watched something normal on the living room TV for once. After remembering they had all waited in Ben's room, I snickered.

"What's so funny?"

"What did everyone think of your room, Ben?"

"They were surprised."

"Yeah, it pretty much drove him crazy when he played his favorite game. Didn't know your… what is it called?"

"Materialization."

"That. None of us knew it could do something like that."

"How do you think I turned bricks into plastic for Sally's stuffed unicorn?"

"Oh. Wow."

The orange candies were soon gone, Sally had been stealing them from me. I didn't mind, sugar was just an extra mineral that wasn't as necessary as others. Night would be coming soon, and just as expected, everyone left the living room. The only ones that stayed were Slenderman's brothers. I knew they were up to something, but I was glad Slenderman had decided to stay up with me.

"Are you not tired, my dear?"

"No, I'm not. I'm surprised to be honest, I thought I would be, after today."

I felt a gloved hand on my wing, and jumped. Splendorman was sitting there, trying to get my attention.

"I hate and love teleportation," I groaned.

I heard Slenderman laugh softly, probably plotting something that would scare me later. Splendorman told me jokes until the sun rose. It seemed he had boundless energy, much like a little kid would. Remembering whose brother he was, I didn't mention that particular thought to him.

 _This has gone on long enough, Enderbrina. You are supposed to be an ice-blooded, ruthless killer. You can't just sit around with them forever. Go kill some humans, already!_

 _Darkness? What's gotten into you?_

 _You haven't killed in a long time._

 _I killed last week… geez. I'm not going to kill someone every day!_

 _Is this some ploy, then?_

 _You're the one who controls my power, Darkness… I know you're itching to give me some, but I'm content with what I have right now. Can't you just lay off for a while?_

 _Don't expect me to be generous next time you earn some power._

 _Okay, that's fine…_

I felt Darkness was still there. I heard it sigh, then continue. _Sorry. I am enjoying the new you a bit much. I am supposed to be neutral._

 _And you are, just… calm down. I'll go tonight, okay?_

* * *

There wasn't much more I enjoyed than making a kill when Darkness was watching. Even better, Slenderman was with me, following invisibly. I picked a house with only two presences in it, assuming it was a guardian and a child. I was correct, and let Slenderman kill the child. I waited in the guardian's bedroom as I waited for Darkness to blanket the room. Once it did, I prodded the sleeping human awake, their scream music to my ears. They were dead in an instant, their head lopped off cleanly. Red coated my platinum sword as I flayed their body and tore off a chunk before meeting up with Slenderman in the hallway. He placed his hand on the top of my head and teleported us back to the mansion, just outside of our bedroom. I cleaned up and changed into my pajamas, not hesitating when I laid down.

 _You are more comfortable._

 _Of course… spending so much time with you and your brothers has made me much more comfortable around you, and_ two _of your brothers._

 _I assume you are excluding Offender?_

 _Yes, I'm sorry, but he is much too forward._

 _He is my brother, nonetheless. I will treat him as such._

* * *

I felt the sun on my face, warming my skin to nearly intolerable temperatures. I sat up, drawing the shade with telekinesis. I felt my face, no damage had been done, thankfully. Slenderman was not in bed beside me, and I couldn't feel his presence anywhere. There were no presences in the mansion whatsoever. Confused, I got up, noticing heat below my feet. I jumped back before they could touch the floor, and saw dark red ground, with pits of fire scattered about, filled with humans writhing in pain. Instantly, I knew I was dreaming, and about Zalgo's realm, no less.

Hell.

 _"_ _It is alright, your sleeping body is back where it should be. You can move around without going anywhere in the waking world,"_ I heard the six voices say to me.

I looked up to see Zalgo was there. _"Oh, good to know… why am I here, in my dreams?"_

 _"_ _You may have a subconscious want to see me, though I don't know why."_

 _"_ _I haven't been gaining power, that could be the reason."_

 _"_ _Darkness also could have sent you here. It may want me to release the Creator within you."_

 _"_ _How did you know about that?"_

 _"_ _It told me. Perhaps I should, it would be delightful to see how you handle yourself as a Creator."_

I was not about to let that happen. I had not liked being a Creator when I had to be. I drove me crazy from the boredom I had to endure. Defeating an enemy as a Creator usually took less than five minutes. A short burst of power was all it was, but something so easily able to destroy things was not something I wanted available to me. Zalgo wasn't a threat as far as I was concerned. I decided to change the subject.

 _"_ _Is… is this really Hell, as I would see it?"_

 _"_ _Being a supernatural of this world, yes. When I eventually end this world, Hell will remain and the sands of time will reset. You and all Creepypastas will come here, and wait until humans roam the Earth again. I create Creepypastas to cause chaos, as that is their purpose, after all."_

 _"_ _Do you know what brought me here, to this world?"_

 _"_ _I am not sure… but any aura on you will have faded too much by now for me to tell you."_

 _"_ _Oh…"_

 _"_ _However, I'm sure you know of the ability of soul manipulation?"_

 _"_ _I used to have it, yes."_

 _"_ _Your memories may tell me something you cannot see."_

 _"_ _By all means, then, take a look."_

I felt soulless, shivering at the strange sensation. Memories flashed before my dreaming eyes as he went back to what I could remember of the incident. I couldn't see anything except dark, endless abyss, then waking up to rain. The memory stopped, there was a figure on the other side of the road where I was laying in the rain, one that I had not seen before. The scene went over to the figure, everything still frozen in time. They weren't anybody I knew.

 _"_ _I have no doubt that this is who brought you to this world. I will have my demons search for them. Would you like any of my demons' protection while the others search?"_

 _"_ _Yes, would you mind sending a few? I'd like one with me at all times."_

 _"_ _Of course. Now, about your Creator self… it may be necessary to release that."_

 _"_ _No, I would rather earn it, thank you."_

 _"_ _Very well."_

The rest of the night I stared at the strange figure. Their face was hidden by an aquamarine hoodie, a very strangely specific color, but by their form they were female. She had a neon green shirt on beneath the hoodie and dark navy jeans. Her hands hung by her side, her skin the color of strawberries, without the whitish seeds on it. Her gray hair was even stranger; it was filled with changing words! I was completely confused as to who this was. It wasn't a normal being, that was for sure. Was it someone I knew from my previous home, someone who admired me from this world, or somebody who knew me but not vice versa? Only time would tell; I was more than afraid of what the answer might be. Waking in the morning to two demon mercenaries of Zalgo's would be a welcome sight.

* * *

 ***Ah, things are picking up! Now be patient, I do have to make you wait, don't I? :P Anyway, Follow, Favorite, Review, and I'll see you in the next chapter!***


	11. Chapter 11

***For those of you who haven't read The End's Fighter, it's basically the prequel to this. If you don't like Minecraft, that's fine. Most of what you need to know about Enderbrina is explained in the first few chapters of this story anyway. So, what's going on? Why the sudden uploads, you ask? And two days in a row? Well, I feel bad... I just want my friend (LeMafiaKreb) to get their high from reading... so, here's chapter 11! Enjoy!***

* * *

There wasn't much I wanted to do over the next few days. However, it seemed both myself and Jane were being constantly hovered over by Offenderman. I glared at him as he went to tap Jane's head, and sent him thoughts of him being tied up and unable to use his abilities, myself and Jane free, torturing him. He backed off, likely knowing my threat was more than just a threat.

 _Go find a human to bother, I will not hesitate to defend Jane from you, nor will I hesitate to defend myself._

He huffed in the shared thought space. _Fine._

He teleported away to the city after severing the connection. The demon standing at my side looked at me, probably wondering what had happened. I told it not to worry.

"Enderbrina, my comrades say they are close to finding the one who brought you here."

"You can speak telepathically with them?"

"Yes. I believe they will find the one soon."

"I'm going to give that bitch a piece of my mind when they do find her. Tell them to keep her restrained when they catch her."

"It is a woman?"

"Yes."

I knew my tail was twitching in irritation, so I got up and went outside, sparring with Gran, two demons watching me as I did this, along with the one who was always at my side. For the first time, I defeated Gran. I breathed heavily, not able to find a decent outlet for my anger. I felt a huge presence in the thicket of trees nearby, recognizing it as Zalgo. I looked over at him, six grins etched over his body.

"Need some help? I'll hold back enough for you to last at least thirty seconds."

I flung myself at him, my sword swinging in. He caught the blade easily and pushed me away, his large, claw-like nails swiping at me, opening four gashes across my torso. The wounds reached too deep and I felt something within me moving, moving forward, reaching for the open air. I pressed my hand over the wound across my stomach, trying to heal myself, but Zalgo ripped me in two. The death realm greeted me as always, with darkness. I moved to the scene and showed myself as a ghost.

"So you are able to be seen as a soul, too?"

 _Yes. A ghost is my least vulnerable form, nearly invincible when I had all my power._

I felt myself pulled into his hand, except I was still in a ghost-like form. His hand was on my head, and I crossed my arms.

"You still are vulnerable to soul manipulation."

 _Thank you, captain obvious…_

"I find you amusing."

My body began to heal itself, moving back together, except I couldn't go back until Zalgo let me go. I looked up at him, waiting.

 _May I go, please?_

"But you are not fully healed."

I looked over at my body, it was done healing, and I was ready to go back.

 _How so?_

"You have not calmed down."

 _I haven't? I felt calmer the moment I died…_

Silence came over us. I knew my emotions were volatile to an extent, but when I was angry, fighting usually made me calm down, unless the fight was a result of my anger. Was this different?

"Enderbrina!"

I looked up from my motionless body to see Slenderman stalking toward us. His mouth had ripped open and his tentacles were flying wildly. I understood his concern, but Zalgo stopped him before anything could get out of hand.

"I simply helped her calm down, Slenderman. She was upset with… something."

 _I was upset at the woman who brought me here. Another fit of anger. Sorry._ I managed a small smile, looking as apologetic as possible while I was a ghost.

Zalgo let me go then, surprising me as I found myself in my body. However, I was not surprised that I was starving. I managed to get to my feet and materialized some gems and some metal bars for myself. I grew my wings and tail, stretching the familiar limbs. Looking over at Slenderman, he was still upset.

"I'm alright now, Slender. Don't worry for me while I'm alive."

His hands disappeared into his dress slacks' pockets. He seemed so relaxed, but there was still something bothering him. He turned to Zalgo.

"Have your demons found the one who sent her here, yet?"

"Hmm…" Zalgo's head tilted, as if he was listening for something. "No. They lost the trace. I'll have to bring up my elites, and have five lower demons with Enderbrina around your mansion."

"Very well. Enderbrina, let's go."

"Okay."

I followed him, realizing he was leading me to our room. He closed the door behind me and pressed me to the door. He had me held by the front of my shirt. Surprised, I stared his blank face. Fear stole my heartbeat, running off with it as my heart rate went faster and faster.

"Do you realize exactly who you were fighting!?"

"Zalgo, the Creator that rules over Earth."

"He could have removed your existence! Do you not realize that he could have done that!?"

"Calm down," I growled, pushing at him but not dislodging his hand from me. "I'm not crushed, I'm here. I'm not a Creepypasta, nor am I human. What reason would he have to crush my soul!?"

I felt his grip loosen, and he sighed. I was pressed to the door again, this time he was gentle, no aggression present. I became suspicious when he placed his free hand over my eyes. The room was silent, nothing happening for a moment. I felt the grip on my shirt still, but his hand that had my shirt had moved. It was holding the back of neck gently. Then I felt it; something soft and cold pressed to my lips. I stopped breathing, but it wasn't a drugged cloth, as it began moving. My heartbeat sped up again, he… he was kissing me! Then it seemed like he was about to pull away, but I didn't want him to. I kicked the door, launching myself at him, returning the kiss, making his hand over my eyes move away. I heard a low rumble, assuming it was a sort of laugh, or a pleased hum. My arms were wrapped around the back of his neck, his tentacles wrapped around my torso, keeping me pressed to him. I felt him pull away, and I let him, now breathing heavily.

"I believe we both understand now," he whispered.

I nodded as he set me on my feet, but I leaned into him anyway, wanting to stay close. He had been worried, but I was still here, the reality likely just occurring to him.

"Did I hurt you, my dear?"

"No, not even a little."

"I am glad. At this point, I do not want to… nor have I since the first night you slept here."

"Slender, tonight… stay awake, but make it seem as if you're sleeping. I want to know if that woman appears, since the demons were close to capturing her. She may know where I am."

"Of course. I will keep you safe."

I knew nighttime was fast approaching. I took my time getting into some pajamas, not knowing what would happen tonight while I slept made me nervous. I hoped that the strawberry-skinned woman wouldn't appear, but I had a feeling she would. When I sat on the edge of the bed, I found my stuffed bear on the nightstand. I picked it up, looking at its no-face and snout. I giggled, it was really cute, making the real thing seem almost like a monster in comparison.

"What is funny?"

"Well, it's nothing major, but I was thinking if you get any more lenient, this stuffed bear will end up more menacing than the real you."

I shook the bear at him, imitating a roar softly. I felt so much like a child, but I didn't care, he had thought it was funny as well, as he chuckled while he laid down beside me. His tentacles reached for me, pulling me closer, and the blankets were swiftly pulled over us.

I didn't realize I had fallen asleep until I saw that strawberry color chasing me through the woods, her feet sounded like they were in boots, her footsteps clomping along behind me, slowly gaining. I tried growing my wings and tail, but it was as if they were stuck within me and couldn't grow. She got closer, until she grabbed my arm and I was instantly back home. There was no more fear as I looked around, purely surprised, but her grip was still there. When she let go, I was falling again, my memory of the whole "landing" coming back to me. Then there was an earthquake; it shook me awake.

"Enderbrina! Calm down, it was a dream," I heard Slenderman say. "Wake up, my dear, it is only a nightmare!"

I gasped for breath, realizing I was clutching my bear. I tossed it aside and buried my face into his neck, breathing heavily still. He held me close, until my breathing evened out, my heart slowing its pace to a resting one.

"D-did she appear? My nightmare was about her…"

"She did indeed appear. However… the elite demons had just arrived and they are now keeping her captive in our torture chamber. Rest easy. The demons will keep her locked up, and we will go in the morning to the chamber."

So I slept. It was filled with dreams of Slenderman and I simply walking through the forest, hand in hand. It was nothing new, but when I woke, I felt his bony hand pressed to the small of my back. I could tell he was awake, and looked up so I could see his blank face.

"How are you feeling, my dear?"

"Ready to give that woman who put me here a piece of my mind. It's obvious she wants me to go back to my original home from the nightmare I had. I belong here with you and the Creepypastas now, I don't belong in my original home anymore."

"Let us go then."

I quickly got ready, bounding out of the room to take Slenderman's hand and walk beside him to the torture chamber. It was the first time I had been into the cellar of his mansion, it was dark and cold. I found myself enjoying the otherwise oppressive atmosphere. Seeing the woman bound brought a smile, however grim, to my face. I heard a rip, and looked up to see Slenderman's mouth had ripped open, but he was smiling just as much as myself. I let go of his hand as we stopped before the woman, whose head hung, her eyes still hidden. She stirred, then slowly lifted her head, glaring at us. A growl emanated from her, but I could finally see her face. Her eyes were fully green, and her lips were a look-at-me purple, her nose just as strawberry-like as the rest of her skin. It was short and wide, but not ugly.

"Enderbrina, there you are!"

"How do you know me?"

"It's me, Nature."

Something stirred in my chest. I took Slenderman's hand, gripping it tightly. I had to fight with myself to keep from just lunging at her and tearing her to pieces. I was furious.

"What the hell do you want me for? Was bringing me here and changing my entire outlook on life not enough for you? You _**LIED**_ to me!"

"You're not supposed to be happy where you are. You are a woman, meant to absorb all the pain that men cannot go through, and still smile through it!"

I growled, walked up to her, and saw she was tied up to the point she couldn't move anything but her head. I pulled out my bronze sword and dug the blade into her shoulder. She cried out, and I felt slightly better. An insane idea hit me, a wide smirk curling my lips into an almost feral manner.

"What are you thinking, my dear," Slenderman asked as I stood behind Nature, peering down at her hunched form. "Knowing that smirk of yours, you have the most wonderfully awful idea."

"Au contraire, I have the most awfully wonderful idea," I said, beginning to circle Nature slowly. With her chained up like she was, I felt powerful. "You, Nature, sent me to this world. I can guess that you thought I was no longer needed in the Three Worlds." I paused, seeing if she would answer, but still slowly paced around her.

"Yes… you were useless then."

"Useless? Hmm. Well, sending me here nearly killed me. Of course, I eventually would have woken up. Now, I think I deserve a very sincere apology."

"Yes, I'm so, very, sincerely sorry, Enderbrina. I only followed you here to make sure you made it safely."

"Hmm… I guess I might forgive you… but I think I need a little something else…"

I stopped in front of her, growing my wings and tail. For the first time in a while, I was utterly livid. My jaw unhinged, the screech trademarked by my people overpowering her senses. I gripped Nature by the throat, letting my nails dig in and draw blood. Blood was not the only thing drawn, however, as I began sapping her power. This was the closest to revenge I could get without killing her. I pulled every last drop of her power into myself, feeling lightheaded from the dramatic increase. My tail twitched in satisfaction as I calmed down, looking at her limp form. She was no more powerful than a human. I sneered in distaste, and let Slenderman have his way with her. I heard her screaming for him to stop, watching with bloodlust as he ripped her limb from limb, the green and turquoise blood flying everywhere. Her power began rising dramatically and she pulled her body back together.

"Fine! I won't bother you again!"

Then she simply disappeared. I noticed her blood had dried on my nails, and licked them, feeling the power within her very blood flow through my system. A grim smile made its way onto my face. I looked up at Slenderman as I finished licking the blood from my index finger. He moved to be eye-level and kissed me, the taste of blood on his lips igniting a fire in the pit of my stomach. When we pulled away, I felt dizzy.

"I enjoy seeing you frenzied, my dear, but I believe that is enough for today."

"I can't make any promises, love, but I'll do my best."

"That is good enough for me."

I sat down in my usual spot on the sofa, a smile lighting up my face. I found it hard not to giggle insanely like Laughing Jack was, as he played a board game with Sally, as usual. Instead, I managed to stifle it by breathing deeply a few times.

"Yo, Brina. You good over there?"

"Y-yeah," I managed to stutter out. "Just… a little excited."

"A little, huh?"

"The demons found the woman who sent me here. As it turns out, she had quite a bit of power… and I took it. I'm feeling lightheaded and quite frankly, giddy… I… I'm more powerful than I used to be."

"Sounds like you're high off glee."

"I guess I am. I'll see you later!"

I flew out of the mansion and into the sky, even though it was raining. I used telekinesis to block the rain, flying up close to the clouds. Lightning struck me, making my hair stand on end, and startling me. I folded my wings and aimed for the balcony, seeing Slenderman standing there with an umbrella. I greeted him as I landed, standing on the railing. He regarded me for a moment, as I literally was metal charged with lightning.

"What abilities can you use now, since all your power is back?"

"All of them! Soul manipulation, telekinesis, telepathy, materialization, shapeshifting, healing, perhaps even flight, and I'm able even to use the ability to…"

My voice faded nearly to a whisper as I recalled the ability I had which was hidden deep within every god or goddess of my previous home.

"An ability to do what?"

"I can, for a short time, become a Creator. It doesn't last long, usually ten minutes at most. My second form is back to full power as well…"

I situated myself and turned into a small water dragon, perching on the railing as I gripped the railing easily. The lightning rushed out of me as I did so. My telekinesis shield dropped, letting the rain fall onto me, and I relished in the feeling.

"What are you, now?"

 _A water dragon. With this form, I have a natural affinity with water, so it cannot hurt me while I hold this shape._

"What else can you do with shapeshifting?"

I huffed, steam rising from my nostrils at the end of my blue-scaled snout. _Must you always question my abilities?_

"I am simply curious, my dear. I mean no harm by it."

 _Alright, but we should probably head indoors for this._

I hopped down from the railing, shaking off the rain from my scales once were under the cover of the mansion's roof. I shifted back to myself as we walked, enjoying the comfortable silence until we arrived at his office doors. Pushing them open, he invited me inside, and I gladly stepped in to the familiar office.

"Well, my dear, what else can you turn into?"

"Name an animal, fictional or real."

"A poison dart frog."

Instantly, I was a tiny pink and black frog, very much poisonous to everything around me. He asked for a mosquito, to which I did turn into one and land on his outstretched hand, resisting the urge to bite him. He asked for many other things, finally ending with a tiger. I returned to myself, standing near the desk, leaning on it.

"What is this soul manipulation you mentioned?"

I looked away. "It's not something I really want to tell you about…"

"Don't tell me you're afraid."

"Actually, for once, I am. You might… see me as a much more dangerous person than you originally realized. Zalgo has soul manipulation."

"He and I both can turn humans into Creepypastas."

"You've never had your soul taken before… it's… not safe in the wrong hands."

"I know you would not hurt me, would you?"

"No… I wouldn't."

"Then what are you afraid of?"

I crossed my arms, becoming frustrated. I decided to just tell him outright. "If I take someone's soul, I can force my will on them, no matter the strength of their own free will. That includes you." Silence. I felt presences outside the doors to his office, and opened the doors with telekinesis. "So do you get it now? I was afraid of telling you because of just how dangerous I am at this height of power. That's not the only thing I can do with soul manipulation. I can erase memories, drive anybody insane. If I have someone's soul, I have complete control over someone's life while I hold their soul."

"What. The. Fuck. Brina, we know you better than that."

I looked at Jeff, raising an eyebrow at him. "Do you? I've done more than that before."

"More?"

"I have soul dust on my hands, it's not something I like to talk about."

"Soul dust? What the hell are you talking about?"

"What happens when you crush a rock? You get sand out of it, right? Sand is the dust of rocks." I paused, hoping they would get it. "I have the soul dust of humans on my hands from my previous home. If you really think you know me, you're wrong."

Jane stepped up to me, glaring at me. Faster than I could blink, she slapped me. I blinked after the fact, stunned, and stared at her.

"Alright, Jane. You have my attention," I growled.

"We… are friends. If you think I'm going to stand here and listen to you say how dangerous you _can_ be, you're wrong. You are not that dangerous on a daily basis, and considering the fact that you're here every day and haven't spontaneously attacked someone, I think you're someone we can all trust." She paused. "Even with our lives, if necessary."

She was right. I hadn't just attacked somebody for no reason unless I wanted to spar. I may have come close, but never once had I hurt them unless they were alright with it, like the night I had gotten my platinum sword. I looked at everyone else past her shoulder, then looked back at her. I sighed.

"I'm sorry, you're right, Jane."

"Of course I am," she said, cracking a smile.

They dispersed, and I re-grew my wings and tail, used to having them grown. I could feel Slenderman's stare on me, and looked up at him.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"You are quite an intriguing creature, my dear."

"Do you still love me?"

"Of course I do. Why would you think I feel any different?"

"I don't know… but, one night… I'd like to go flying… with you."

"How do you propose we do that?"

"You'll be in soul form, and I'll carry your soul within me. You may think you have no soul, but I assure you it is there, however dark and evil it may be."

"That sounds wonderful. Perhaps I could change our existence to a different dimension and we could go now, if you'd like."

He put his arm around my shoulders, and teleported us to our bedroom. I felt a shift in the air, and assumed we had switched dimensions. He sat down on the edge of the bed, seeming to wait for something.

"Uh… are we in the right dimension now?"

"Yes, we are in the original one. I had changed the dimension when my brothers arrived."

"Oh, okay. So um…"

"Take it," he prompted. "I can stay here, can I not?"

"Yeah, you can stay where you are, but it would be more comfortable when you… return, if you were laying down."

He laid down on his side of the bed, his hands clasped over his stomach. I took a deep breath and pulled his soul into myself. Chills went down my spine, until I felt his telepathy prodding at my mind, and let him in.

 _You are uncomfortable?_

 _No, just the initial time taking someone's soul, if I haven't before, is a little strange. I'm fine now._

 _I must admit I am quite interested in how you see the world. I have heard that a bird's eye view is extraordinary._

 _You heard correctly._

I went out to the balcony, getting up on the railing, seeing it was perfectly dry, and spread my wings, taking off into the air. I rose up high enough where frost edged my wings, but didn't bother me. I could feel Slenderman calmly looking through my eyes at the world below.

 _I expected something a bit more exciting._

I smirked. _You want exciting, do you?_

I angled myself toward the ground, and folded my wings nearly all the way, diving for a human, snatching them and swooping back up into the air, my heart racing in excitement. I felt Slenderman's mild interest, and frowned, trying to figure out something he would want to do. The human in my grasp — still screaming — struggled to get free.

"Stop struggling, human, unless you want to splatter on the ground below."

He must have heard my warning because his hand tightened on my forearm, his struggle ceasing. I went and landed on a skyscraper, tossing the human onto the rooftop, perching close to the edge of the skyscraper. I heard the human frantically looking for a way off, and locked the door that would let him go down into the skyscraper and have a sense of escape.

"If you jump, I will catch you and pin you to the roof," I warned him again.

I heard his shuffling stop, and his presence moved over to the door, sitting against it. No idea came to mind as I thought, so I sighed and turned to the human, gripping the hilt of my platinum sword at my side. Drawing the sword, the human's eyes lit up with fear. I felt Slenderman become excited at this. I couldn't help it as a smile grew across my face and I lifted up my sword, bringing it down to permanently stop the human's heartbeat. I tore into the flesh, seeing the sun beginning to set. Once the body was mostly stripped of meat, I stood up, wiping my mouth on my sleeve.

 _I honestly don't understand why flying is not exciting for you._

 _It is exciting._

 _I couldn't feel any excitement until I went to kill the human,_ I replied, taking to the air. I headed back toward the mansion. _At least, I couldn't feel any excitement from you._

 _I am not used to feeling excitement._

 _True…_

Instead of flying all the way back, I simply teleported after landing at the edge of the woods. My facade was gone, I was known as a killer in the city now. I giggled as I saw the stuffed "slender"-bear on the nightstand next to our bed. I sent Slenderman's soul back into him and then picked up the bear.

"I think it's happening."

"What?"

"This bear becoming more terrifying than you."

"I think not," he growled.

"Oh yeah?"

I held the bear out, mimicking his growl, and giggled, unable to help it.

"That stuffed _thing_ is not scarier than me."

"Really? Okay, prove it."

His invisible mouth simply split open, a huge smile forming. I held the bear up, pretending to scrutinize it next to him. I looked between him and the bear, and shook my head as if to say he still wasn't scary. I went into my closet, but was yanked back to face the huge, ripped smile. Black tentacles slowly creeped closer to places they shouldn't be.

"Perhaps I should assert my dominance, then."

"Woah! Hell no! Too soon!"

He dropped me, laughing, and I got into my pajamas. I was surprised he had let me go, he nearly convinced he was Offenderman by the smile he had. His mouth had closed up when I returned, and I laid down in bed, intent on entering stasis as soon as possible.

"Apologies, but your reaction was priceless."

"Yeah, sure…"

"You are beautiful, my dear."

"Tell me something I haven't heard before."

He pulled me against him, my back to his chest. I felt his chest vibrate as he laughed softly. "Unfortunately, I cannot, because I would be lying."

"Close enough."

I closed my eyes, falling into stasis in his grasp. I woke from the stasis to find a note on the stuffed bear in front of my face. It was written in neat cursive, and read:

—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—

 _Good morning. Please meet me on the balcony after you have had breakfast._

—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—_—

Okay, that was a bit strange. He probably just wanted to enjoy the view. Shrugging, I went and ate breakfast, Bloody Painter still at the table, finishing his just as I began.

 _Oh, hi._

"Enderbrina?"

 _Yeah. Sorry, it's rude to talk with my mouth full, you know. But that doesn't apply to telepathy! So how's your supply of purple?_

"It's fine. I use it mainly for accents."

 _Okay, this is gonna sound weird, but… how about you can kill me later if Slender stops doting over me? That way you can collect my blood._

"Uh, sure."

He shoved his hands in his blue overcoat pockets and left the kitchen. Eventually I finished and teleported out to the balcony, confused at not seeing him anywhere. I felt for his presence, it was directly behind me.

"Why are you invisible," I asked aloud.

"You should know I can do that, my dear."

"So why'd you ask me to come out here?" I placed my elbows up on the railing, leaning on the railing. "I have a feeling it isn't just to enjoy the view it provides."

"No, I wanted to speak with you about your shapeshifting."

"Okay, go ahead."

"Can you really turn into anything?"

"What, do you want me to do a mirror prank on one of the Creepypastas or something?"

"That's not my point. Are you able to turn into a human?"

"Yeah."

"Take these," he said, placing several wedding rings in my hand. "Sell them on the black market, and go grocery shopping for the others. It's a risk sending Helen in."

"Helen?"

"The Bloody Painter's real name is Helen Otis. He's only a teenager, and for someone like him to have so much money is a bit suspicious."

"Oh, I see. Well… how's this?"

I shapeshifted into a fancily-dressed human woman in her late twenties, with bright brown eyes and raven hair. My wings and tail immediately disappeared. I had light brown skin to keep close to my real heritage, within which my skin was the color of raven's feathers. My usual shape was kept, and I looked up at Slenderman, and he nodded.

"I'll be right back."

I teleported to the other side of the city, walking into an alley, checking to make sure nobody was following me, and knocked on the door. I knew Slenderman had forgotten about my materialization, but I figured I would remind him later. The door in front of me creaked, bringing me back to the present. A well-built man with a pair of glittering, suspicious eyes opened the door, and let me in. He led me down a few flights of stairs, which had a thick steel door at the very bottom. He waved me in, holding the door open, and locked the door behind me, keeping us both in. I turned to regard him, realizing he was the leader of the richest gang in town.

"King Fate," I greeted, using his gang name.

"Sounds like you know who I am, pretty mama."

"I know every gang in this town. It's a well known fact you run the black market, but always pay off the fuzz."

"Who are you, girly? I ain't never seen you around here before."

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yeah."

"Okay then."

I dropped my disguise instantly, King Fate scrambling as soon as realization set it. I laughed, seeing him running about, grabbing for guns with shots in them. I stopped him in his tracks with telekinesis, and put him behind the counter.

"I'm not here to kill you. I'm a customer for now. You can expect me to teleport in at times. Make sure that corner over there stays clear," I said, jabbing my thumb in the corner closest to the door. "Now, as for my offer…"

I showed him the rings, his eyes growing round.

"All I ask you for is a fair price, enough to buy groceries for a family of eight."

"Eight? Who you living with, Brina?"

"I could tell you, but I like you better alive, King."

"Alright, it's none o' my business anyway. Here, forty grand, enough to last you a couple years."

"This—"

"Just to keep you from coming here too often. Your eyes are creepy."

"Hmm… well, alright. I'll be back eventually.."

I took on my human guise again, went shopping, and brought the food to the mansion. When I reminded Slenderman of my ability, he ran a hand over his bald head, probably a bit frustrated. I noticed it was easier to read his expressions as the day went on. Remembering we had gone out yesterday to fly, I wondered if holding his soul was the reason. I used telepathy to convey my thoughts to him.

 _I'm able to read your emotions a little better. Perhaps it is because I held your soul._

 _Were you able to before?_

 _No, I wasn't, not this well._

Nothing else happened that day, but I knew one thing: I was at the peak of my power now. What would happen as time went on?

* * *

 ***Hmm, what _will_ happen? Guess we'll have to wait until I upload chapter 12. Er... you'll have to wait. Uh, just a warning... if you read The End's Fighter, then be prepared for a similar ending to this story. Yes, a cliffhanger. I figured I'd warn you a few chapters early for those of you who read my Author's notes. ****Anyway, Follow, Favorite, Review, and I'll see you in chapter 12!***


	12. Chapter 12

***It's short, get over it. Now then... chapter 12. To inform all of you, I had finished actually writing No Way Back many months before even chapter 7 was released. So you might be asking why I didn't post it all right away. Well, one, I try not to post more than 1 chapter per day for the same story. Two, NWB needed some major revisions. Anyway... enjoy the** **chapter!***

* * *

An ear-splitting screech made me wince, but then look up, wondering where it came from. A wild animal ran from something outside and into the mansion. It looked like its skin had been stretched over its skeleton, which was far too skinny already. Slenderman stalked in, the animal running down the hallway.

"Great, it's the Rake," I heard Eyeless Jack groan.

"What's the Rake?"

"A rogue Creepypasta. He must have angered Slendy, and now he's going to get punishment or something."

I turned around to see the Rake running at me, not looking where he was going. I ducked in time for him to jump over my head and crash into the side of the brick fireplace. I looked over to see it dazed, very close to being knocked out. I kept it held down with telekinesis, and approached it, curious. A white hand moved me aside, but I refused to just stand by and watch. I tackled Slenderman before he could hurt the Rake any more and teleported us to the other side of the room.

"Stop hurting him. What did he do!?"

"He attacked Jeff," Slenderman said, pushing me away.

I went and looked for Jeff, teleporting to his fast-fading presence. I brought him back to the mansion, laying him the cold tile against my better judgement and began healing him, but he had lost too much blood. His soul rose up from his body but I took hold of it, and absorbed it to keep it from going anywhere.

 _Woah… what the fuck?_

 _Calm down, Jeff. You'll be fine._

 _Brina! Why am I seeing through your eyes?_

 _Because you're dead._

His thoughts went quiet. I heard a nervous laugh. _Don't fuck around Brina, I'm obviously alive._

 _The Rake almost succeeded in killing you. So while your body is dead, and your soul is within me, you are dead to those around you, who don't know about your soul within me. I know, so I know you are alive. You lost a lot of blood._

I looked over to the Bloody Painter.

"Hey, Helen…"

"Yeah?"

"I need your help, and EJ's help."

"What for?"

"A blood transfusion for Jeff."

"I got this. I know hi— wait. I thought Jeff was dead?"

"I healed him and his body is now in stasis. There isn't enough blood for his heart to pump; he needs some so his body can begin producing more blood."

"Okay…"

I brought Jeff's body to Eyeless Jack's room, laying him on the more comfortable hospital table. Looking at my friend's withered body, I felt awful. He looked paler than usual, if that was even possible. Eyeless Jack had me leave, so I did, Jeff's soul still within me. I could feel his nervousness.

 _Calm down._

 _Calm down!? Brina, I know you have another side to you, so I don't need to ask if you're insane, but are you serious!?_

 _Yes, I'm serious, Jeff. I'll do my best to keep you comfortable if EJ can't save your body. If he can't, I'll find a suitable human to replace it. It'll be easy enough to keep you comfortable while you're within me._

 _What do you mean by comfortable?_

I shut him out from my thoughts, trying to find a way to explain. I felt an intrusion, recognizing it as Slenderman. I let the two of them into my mind, letting them hear my thoughts.

 _Yes, Slenderman?_

 _It seems we have a delicate situation. Jeff, you are merely a soul right now. Your body is in stasis, much the same as when Enderbrina sleeps but does not dream._

 _That's correct,_ I interjected.

 _So while you are a soul within her, she wants to stay away from me, to keep things from getting uncomfortable for you._

 _Brina! You could have just said that!_

 _Sorry, Jeff, but I wanted you to hear it from Slenderman, since he is… well, you know._

 _Owner of the mansion. Yeah, got it._

 _We might as well take advantage of the situation, though, right?_

 _What do you mean? What are you gonna do to me?_

 _Just gonna give you a taste of what it's like to be me, nothing major. Besides the whole… relationship I have with Slenderman._

 _Huh… okay then._

 _First up! Flying!_

I could feel Jeff's sudden change from interest to excitement. It put an extra spring in my step as I went outside and took to the air. My wings beat heavily at the air, climbing high enough where my wings began to get frost on the edges, using my tail to steer wherever Jeff wanted to go.

 _What about shapeshifting!?_

 _What do you want to become?_

 _Well, something that can fly, obviously._

 _Sounds fun… is that the ocean?_

 _Yeah, it is, why?_

 _Just wait…_

I turned into a large water dragon, my body turning blue and my wingspan reaching out to twenty meters, scales growing out over me as my body lengthened and my arms turned into legs with paws, said paws with sea foam green talons and webbing between the toes. I dove down into the ocean, Jeff yelling for me to stop before he realized what I had turned into, finally figuring it out as I breathed in the water through my new gills, filling my lungs with oxygen-rich water. I moved to warmer waters where there were underwater heat vents. I looked around the dark waters we were in, seeing incredible creatures, and then saw a giant squid.

 _How about sushi for lunch, Jeff? You'd be surprised what different forms can do to the taste of things._

I snatched the squid out of its swimming pattern, it instantly began to thrash about, trying to get me to let go. I saw it ink, but I was already sinking my teeth into its brain. It slowly began to thrash less, until it lay eerily still in the water. I ate it with relish, not used to eating seafood, noting Jeff's enjoyment as well.

 _That was different. Raw squid, straight from the water._

I poked my head above the water, seeing nighttime was closer than I had thought. I pulled my head back under, going and sitting on the sea floor, close to the hot water vent.

 _Hmm, looks like we had a late lunch instead of one that was on-time, like I thought. Well, what do you want to do now? The possibilities are nearly endless._

 _What do you mean? You said this was a taste of what it's like to be you._

 _I did say that, didn't I? Well, let's see then…_

I took off out of the water, scaring a small sailing boat, and landed near a hidden alcove, making my way in and turning back to myself after shaking off the water much like a dog or cat would. I went on foot to the city, arriving just as the last rays of sunlight followed the sun below the horizon. Darkness rose up and licked at my heels as I walked, silencing my footsteps as I went throughout the city. Gangs stayed away from me, a grin stretching across my face.

 _This seems boring. Why are you just walking out in the middle of the road?_

 _You'll see._

Unexpectedly, three large gangs of twenty or more humans each surrounded me. It took them all a moment to surround me, but I let it happen anyway. I heard the front row take their gun's safety off, and point the weapons at me.

"Well, well. How are you all doing tonight?"

"Don't play games, Brina. We know you met King Fate recently and we haven't seen him since."

"You haven't? A shame… but I can assure you I did not kill him," I said, my tone serious. I was aware of Jeff's confusion, and told him I hadn't expected this for a scale of an attack. "I can feel his presence but it is difficult to pinpoint it. I shall lead you to it if you'd like."

A part in the crowd of thugs opened, and I stepped through. They all followed me, their guns ready to fire.

 _What the hell is this? You're helping them!? Traitor!_

 _No, watch._

I led them into an alleyway where King Fate was tied up and weak. I knew he was silently pleading for me to help him. I took out my bronze sword and knelt next to him, beginning to cut away the bindings he was in.

 _So why are you actually here? What's so special about this human?_

 _He's the one who gave us money for the groceries before the Rake attacked you._

 _I take back what I said._

"There, all set," I said, healing King Fate and helped him to his feet. "Are you alright now?"

"Yeah… thanks, Brina."

"Well I kind of need you alive, you know."

The rest of the gang members left, leaving us alone in the alley I leaned on the wall opposite of where he had been tied up.

"You need me alive, do you?"

"Yeah. I uh… might need you."

"For what?"

"I have a friend."

"What do you mean?"

"I have many abilities at my disposal, including one that allows me to manipulate souls. Currently, one of my friends is… without a body, you could say, and may need one if their body cannot be saved."

King Fate's expression turned to horror. "You mean… me?"

"Well, not quite. I was thinking if you knew of a thug that wasn't all that smart, I would use him."

"Does it have to be a guy?"

"Yes, it does."

"I know a few…"

"Wonderful. I'll let you know if I need one."

I left, headed toward the mansion. I felt a few presences following me, not recognizing them, but I could tell they were human. I let them follow, pretending not to notice, even growing my wings and tail, folding them behind me. Instead of taking the route to the mansion, I went down an alleyway, when the ones following me raced around the corner, only to see me watching them.

"Who are you," I asked directly.

"Friends of King Fate."

 _These guys are annoying. I don't know how you dealt with them when you still helped the city._

 _Wasn't hard, still isn't. This is the nightlife for city dwellers of my stature._

"So you're his friends. Well, I just met with him."

"Yeah? You his bitch or somethin'?"

"No. I bring him good items, he gives me cash in return."

"What do you mean, good items? You find drugs?"

I sighed. "Humans waste their lives on such awful things. I meant jewelry. Anyway, you three look like you're good at cards. Why don't we make a little bet, hmm?"

"That's something I'll do," one of three said.

"Yeah, sure. What are the terms?"

"If I win, I get to kill the three of you. If you win, you get to keep your life. No matter what, I'll be killing at least two of you."

I materialized a table with four chairs, sitting down in one.

"Do we have a deal, boys?"

They all looked at each other, said their goodbyes, and sat down. I knew they were trembling, and saw one pull out a cigarette for each of them, even offering one to me.

"I don't do that."

Shrugging, he stashed the pack away and lit his cigarette, the other pulling out lighters.

 _If that one doesn't win, I want his cigarettes,_ Jeff told me.

 _Sure thing. Why do you do that, anyway?_

 _I'm immortal… er, sort of._

 _Alright, whatever. I'll get them for you._

In the end, I did win. They all tensed, bowing their heads.

"Accepting it, huh? Well… at least you aren't crying…"

I pulled my sword out, easily lopping their heads off, seeing the blood fly was satisfying. I looted the three of them for any cigarettes, finding the half-used box on the body of the thug who had offered me one. I found two more full packages, dumbfounded why they even had them. I flew off to the forest just as the sun began to rise, the game had taken longer than necessary. I changed my clothes, not enjoying the smell that lingered on me. I had condensed two of the packages into one, making for an over-stuffed box. I approached Offenderman, who seemed confused by my willing closeness, but soon smiled down at me.

"Well, hello there, sugar tits."

"Shut up. I killed a few humans and they had some of those cigarette things. Don't bother me while these last," I said, giving the stuffed box to him and then heading immediately to Eyeless Jack's room. "I mean it."

 _I hate him… but he is Slenderman's brother… I just hope he does what I told him to._

 _What are you gonna do if he doesn't?_

I came up with multiple scenarios, each bloodier and more painful for the being than the previous ones. Jeff clearly saw them as I came up with them, but when I stepped into Eyeless Jack's room, he was asleep on the sofa with a beer in his limp hand. I looked over at Jeff's body, ignoring my sleeping, blue-masked friend. I sent Jeff's soul back into his body, seeing how he would react.

 _Just think, remember._

 _I feel tired… but great. Can I have those, now?_

 _I will leave them in your room._

I went into Jeff's room, where there lay a bloodied body of a policeman on the floor, and left the cigarettes on his bed, glad to be rid of the things. When I stepped out, I was tackled by a hug from Jane, who was surprised when she opened her eyes.

"Oh… sorry…"

"It's fine. He's in EJ's room if you want to see how he's doing."

"Thanks."

She rushed off to the blue door, opening and closing it quickly. I smiled as I teleported near Slenderman's presence, surprised to find he was out on the balcony. The bright morning sun made his paper-white skin nearly glow. I walked up beside him, letting my tail drag on the ground to announce my being there, keeping my wings folded against my back.

"How is Jeffery?"

"Back in his body."

"Did he give you any trouble?"

"None. I also paid off your brother."

"He doesn't take money to stop pestering the women."

"I didn't give him money, I killed three human thugs and they all had cigarettes on them. So I gave an over-stuffed box to Offender, telling him to leave me alone until they run out."

"That won't work."

"Don't worry, with all my abilities back I can usually stave him off. Telekinesis is my best friend with him around," I said with disgust. "Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like any of them are intent on leaving, except Trender. I don't mind Splendor, of course."

A comfortable silence descended over us. I stared toward the rising sun, watching as its rays lit up the trees, making their leaves seem to turn to gold. Even the grass in the clearing turned to the golden rays to the sun. It was beautiful. I slipped my hand into his, without a care in the world.

"You are beautiful, Enderbrina."

"Thank you, but you've said that before."

"So I have, but it is true."

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

I felt his hand let go of mine, but then I was pulled into his arms before I could protest. I was surprised, and looked at his face. I could tell he was smiling at me with his hidden mouth, but there was another emotion there I hadn't seen before. I smirked and shapeshifted into a snake, and slithered down onto the ground, standing again when I was sure he wouldn't try to pick me up again.

"You are insufferable when you do that."

"What are you going to do about it," I taunted.

"I am not falling for your tricks."

"You're not doing anything because you know I'll just slip out of your arms again."

"Of course you will."

I looked back at the clearing, sitting up on the railing with my feet over the balcony rather than thin air.

"Are you going to go make breakfast for everyone?"

"Not today. I occasionally take days for myself."

"Days for yourself, huh?"

"Yes. I see your smirk. What are you planning?"

I took hold of his tie and pulled his face down to my height, kissing him. I let go of the tie, but he seemed to get the idea. When he stopped abruptly, I became confused.

"I… I cannot."

"What do you mean?"

"Not… not with you."

I became furious. "What the fuck!? What do you mean, not with me? I'm your damn _girlfriend!_ Have you just been leading me along this whole time!?"

"No, I truly do love you, Enderbrina. Do not become so angry."

"Then why are you so against it?"

"You are made of metals, my dear."

"Yeah, so? Humans in Minecraft had fallen in love with my kind before, and they were able to. Is there really that much of a difference between you and humans?"

He went quiet. I stared at him a moment longer before sighing, and nodding. I knew what he meant. We weren't compatible, no matter the situation. Looking back out over the clearing, I wasn't surprised to see everything was still.

"So… what do you do on your days off?"

"If I am being honest, not much. I do, however, like to go and terrorize humans on these days off. I am sure, with your status as a murderer now, you'd be seen as a threat. Would you like to come with me and terrorize them?"

"Yeah, why not?"

I heard movement, and turned my head enough to see his hand was held out to me. I swung my legs around and stepped onto the balcony, and took his hand. Instantly, we were near the edge of the forest. It was daytime, so the light would penetrate the unnatural darkness of the woods. I looked up to see he had moved forward, leaning over slightly as he watched for something. I heard the distant sound of a car engine, and he also must have heard it because he stepped back, and a red sports car rumbled by, screeching tires telling me whoever was driving had seen him. The door opened and I scrambled into a tree, dimming the glow of my eyes to nothing as Slenderman made himself invisible to the world around him. It wasn't easy containing my excitement, but I let my wings and tail grow back, my tail hanging down just within the human's sight. His head turned toward it, and he laughed, walking back out of the forest, saying something about a "kid's prank."

 _That was interesting… perhaps he might return with his own children…_

 _He looked single._

 _Are you hungry, my dear? You are… drooling._

I wiped my chin and found my saliva coating a small portion of my hand. Surprised, my face heated up.

 _I guess I am hungry…_

 _It's never too late for hunting a human. Shall we?_

I grinned. _Yes, indeed we shall._

* * *

I tore into the human, ripping off chunks of the flesh. I looked out the window at the red sports car in the driveway, wondering if killing the newest guy in the city was a good idea. Logically, police would deduce he had been brutally murdered and the body hidden or dragged away by someone from his previous town. I looked up to see Slenderman holding another body, it seemed to be a girl but I wasn't sure. I pulled off a bite-sized piece from the dead body and ate it, watching him eat with his tentacles. It was mesmerizing in an almost disturbing way. He tore the organs from the body, but I couldn't see how he ate them, just that his tentacles brought them to his mouth. He jumped, startled, and I knew why in almost an instant. A wet splat on the floor notified me of the cause, his fancy dress shoes now splattered with blood. In a heap, the dead woman's intestines laid. I heard him curse softly.

"Were they new?"

"Yes."

I materialized a fresh pair and held out the shoes to him after cleaning my hands somewhat. I made sure only to hold them with telekinesis.

"Thank you."

He disappeared into another room, a scream cut short, and then he returned, his dress shoes now clean, although I knew it was the new pair.

"Why do you not clean your clothes?"

"The blood doesn't smell terrible until it dries the next day. You might notice I try to refrain from doing laundry; it's dangerous for me since I can't touch water. Telekinesis helps."

We teleported back and I changed my clothes into pajamas, and sat on the edge of the bed. He came over and sat beside me, faint red spots the only sign he had been eating.

"I am sure there will come a day, my dear, where we will have a child. I do not think Fate would like us having a child so soon."

"Why not?"

"Perhaps because of what our child would be. There are many killers in the world already."

"I guess you're right…"

"I understand your sadness, I feel the same way you do."

"Okay… let's sleep, it's late."

He was gone from my side in an instant, then his tentacles wrapped around me and pulled me to lay down, facing him. His longer, lankier frame always made me feel small, but I didn't mind. His hand rubbed my back soothingly, and sleep whisked me off to its ethereal realm.

* * *

"Breakfast will be ready within the hour," Slenderman said. "I will see all of you at the dining table."

We teleported to the kitchen, alone once more. I helped him cook, not really paying much attention, only making sure the food didn't burn.

 _Are you sure you'll be alright?_

 _I'm sure. I just wish it could be different._

 _Perhaps there will come a day when it is possible._

The day went on as normal, and everyone seemed relaxed as the days went by, then weeks. It was summer before I knew it. I watched a squirrel from the tree I was sitting in, its little nose twitching. It couldn't smell me, as I was made of metal. It decided to race up the tree I was sitting in, and I managed to catch its tail. I was never one for torturing wildlife, but this squirrel seemed to not understand it wasn't in any danger. It hurt its teeth trying to bite me, and its claws dulled from trying to scratch me. When it found itself completely defenseless, it submitted to me. I placed the furry creature in my lap and began gently stroking its head. I saw Shadow lurking about in the shadows, and called to him.

 _Hey, Shadow. Good to see you._

 _Enderbrina! Wow, it's been a while. Sorry I haven't visited. Whatcha got?_

 _It's a squirrel, but I'm not letting you have it._

 _Oh. I don't eat those anyway. Rabbits are better._

 _Good. Now let's see… have you seen a dog-like thing around?_

 _Yeah. We met, he's kinda cool. We're friends, so far._

 _Good, good… just be wary of the Rake, he's the one you met. He attacked Jeff._

 _I understand. I'll see you around._

Shadow padded off, the squirrel in my lap still trembling. I picked it up slowly, careful not to crush it, and placed it against the tree bark. I put my hand below it in case it fell, but its tiny paws clung to the bark easily. It stayed there, stunned, as I moved to be comfortable against the trunk of the tree, leaning my head back. I felt tiny paws on my leg, and slowly opened my eyes to see the squirrel had returned. I smiled, and materialized a piece of a carrot, holding it out to the creature. It took the orange root vegetable, and began gnawing on it.

"Don't go telling your friends, now…"

It looked up at the sound of my voice. A questioning chirrup was what I received.

"Don't tell your friends about me, okay? I'll keep feeding you, but only if your friends don't know about this."

It finished the carrot piece, and slowly made its way toward my torso. It nuzzled its head against my stomach, finding my hoodie pocket. It slipped in, hunkering down and sleeping. Wildlife could be so endearing sometimes.

* * *

 ***So... onward to chapter 13. Follow, Favorite, Review, and I'll see you there.***


	13. Chapter 13

***I know it's short… but some serious stuff happens in this chapter (nothing explicit). Well, enjoy chapter 13!***

* * *

The squirrel in my pocket woke up, carefully moving out of my pocket and back onto my leg as the sun slowly rose. It looked up at me, mostly relaxed, but I could sense something else in its mind. It managed to crawl up my torso, and sit on my shoulder. Confused, I shrugged the shoulder it was on. I smirked at it losing its balance for a moment, but it stayed put.

"Alright, just don't do your business there."

 _"_ _Chirp!"_

"Yeah, yeah. Here, do you like walnuts?"

I handed it a half of a walnut, and it took it from me, nuzzling its head against my ear. I began walking toward the clearing, but it shrieked before running off into the woods. I decided to visit it later, and looked up at see Slenderman was standing in front of me.

"Was that a squirrel on your shoulder?"

"Yes."

"Why are you feeding the wildlife?"

"I like the little creatures. They're cute. Plus, being somewhat of an animal because of my origins, they understand me better than they would a human. Besides, it's only one. I told it not to tell its friends."

"Very well… but I came out here for a different reason. That squirrel was not the only presence I felt directly near to you."

"Well, I met Shadow last night."

"The cat?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, my cat companion."

We walked back to his mansion, not talking on the way. I thought about my first days at the mansion, remembering meeting Eyeless Jack and Sally for the first time. I remembered when Eyeless Jack confronted me in my room. And I remembered…

"Um… Slender…"

We were just outside the mansion's doors, but they were still closed. He stopped and turned to regard me, and I thanked Zalgo and all the demons of Hell he had heard my tone and didn't open the doors.

"Yes, my dear?"

I paused, unsure how to say what I wanted to say. I took a deep breath, and kept my gaze off him. "So… Eyeless Jack and I are the only ones who know about this, but I once said that I would ask — no, _demand_ — an all-out fight from you one day," I began. "If you wouldn't mind… I'd like to do that sometime soon." When I looked up, he was shaking with fury. I winced, turning away in shame and disappointment.

"Why didn't you tell me before!? I cannot fight you now!"

I nodded, which seemed to calm his fiery disapproval. "I'm sorry I didn't, but I wasn't powerful enough to last very long. Now that I am… I want to fight to the very best I can. You're the most powerful one here besides Zalgo, and I want to test my strength against yours."

He blew out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose, which barely stood out against the rest of his blank face. I could see the anger he held had gone away for the most part.

"Very well, only for you…"

"It's because we're… incompatible, isn't it?"

He paused as his hand reached for the doorknob. He nodded, not saying another word, and stepped inside the mansion.

* * *

I was sitting in the living room with everyone else, and I knew everyone was tense; I knew they were all thinking about something.

"Okay, why are all of you so tense? What's going on?"

"Well… you have all of your abilities, or whatever, back now. Aren't you going to leave?"

"Seriously, you think I'm going to just up and leave? How dense are you, Jane? I don't even know _how_ to leave, so I'm not leaving."

"Yes, she is."

The sound of that voice made my anger spike up, my wings and tail growing as I saw Nature again, my anger rising even more. I drew my platinum sword and mumbled a few choice words.

"You'll be coming with me whether you like it or not, Enderbrina. I am more powerful than you."

I teleported outside, reaching out to Zalgo's mind, my swords drawn and ready. I felt his presence nearby as a plume of flame went up, and he stood in its place once it dispersed.

"You called?"

"Nature is here."

"She can't be. Fate said she would stay out of your life for at least the next few centuries."

"Well, she's here."

Nature soon raced outside, and I glared at her, until Zalgo placed a hand on my head, or rather, one of his claws on the top at the center of my head. I felt something within me break, power flooding my body just as a dam would flood a valley. I felt Zalgo keeping me on my feet, but seeing Nature's expression was priceless. She was terrified of Zalgo. Or was it me? I didn't know, nor did I care. All I knew was that Slenderman was there for me, holding me in his tentacles as Nature looked between the three of us. I managed to pull her soul into my hand and sapped her power through it, transferring the power to Zalgo afterward, not needing it myself.

"Stop… Minecraft needs you… emergency…"

I slowed to a stop in sapping her power, and she seemed to regain it all the same as before. I let her soul go, and she glared at me.

"Minecraft is in great danger!"

I frowned. "What kind of danger?"

"I can't explain right now! There's no time!"

I raised a brow at her. "Oh really?"

"Yes! Have you become that distant that you have no desire to save your own brother!?"

I paused, thinking. "You just said there was no time to explain, but now you inadvertently explain, telling me I need to save my brother? Why do you insist on bringing me back? I am happy here."

"You can't be happy no matter where you are!"

"Yes, I know, you've said it before. Well, guess what? I'm not leaving anyway. So you can go on back to wherever it is you belong, and leave me alone."

"You'll regret this."

"There may come a day when I will, but until then, I will not."

She growled and disappeared. I could no longer feel her presence.

"She is troublesome."

"It'll be fine. Next time, I will be sure to bargain with Fate to keep her out of your life for good, so she won't be able to continue to bother you."

"Thank you, Zalgo. Slender, we should be going."

He nodded and we were instantly back in his mansion, he had teleported us there. We were in our bedroom, but it was only noon. I sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at my Slender-bear on the nightstand.

"Why are we here?"

"You were having some very… dark thoughts while that woman was here. It was very becoming of you, I must say."

I huffed, and turned away. "Slender… that primal instinct of your is so very endearing but…" I sighed. "I'm not sure if I even want to anymore, considering the fact…"

I let my voice trail off, sure he knew I was referring to our incompatibility. I almost wished I could bring him back to Minecraft. Wouldn't that be something! A tall, pale, faceless, business-suit-wearing "enderman" walking around with me. With tentacles in his back, no less! I giggled at the thought, wondering what my friends would think, as well as the other immortals there. My mind ran rampant with thoughts, but I was soon brought back by a white hand cupping my cheek, startling me. He called me something of a nickname, and I didn't protest against it.

"Quite the imagination, as always, little dragon."

"But you would like my original home, I don't doubt. There are giant spiders for competition, though."

"Competition? Do they feel attracted to you?"

"No, silly, I meant they eat humans too. We'd have hunting competition."

"I could take care of them."

"True…"

He pulled me to my feet, his tentacles pulling me against him.

"Do you miss your original home, Enderbrina?"

"Sometimes, but I like it here better, anyway."

"Good." He cleared his throat. "You think of me as a monster, correct?"

"Not quite. You're a gentlemonster. I've told you this before." I could tell he was smiling. Smirking back at him, I said, "But you're _my_ gentlemonster, don't forget."

"Of course not, and you are my little dragon."

"You only say the 'little' part because I'm shorter than you."

His smile grew, pushing his cheekbones up, as his tentacles unraveled and put me on the floor. I stretched my wings, wondering what to do for the rest of the day.

"I know I would enjoy flying again, if you wouldn't mind."

"Not at all," I said, smiling as he laid down, just like the first time we had gone flying.

Once his soul was within me, I teleported out to his balcony and took off into the early dusk air. Most of the night, we flew around, looking for a good kill. I spotted a particularly dark-minded person, and tried to become stealthy as I trailed them.

 _What are you doing?_

 _Don't you see them? Carefully, look into their mind. They have to be one of us with that mindset._

 _You are correct. Very well, follow them._

I smiled at his attitude, still following them. I had run back to the mansion to tell the others we might be out for a couple of days or weeks, a few of them becoming confused but mostly just accepting it, knowing from Jane we were together now. So, for about a week, we trailed the mysterious person. They seemed to have their eye on others, but kept following the same person around for a while, even letting the human know about their presence. The human would smile at the Creepypasta's presence, which confused me.

 _This must be the Puppeteer; Zalgo spoke of him last time we met. A manipulative smooth-talker, he befriends his victims; anyone with fragile emotions, he will target. He has strings, much like I have tentacles, but they come from his hands. I believe he kills them when they finally ask him to or he either "gives them a way out of their misery," by killing them._

I studied the Puppeteer closer, trying to get my hawk-like vision to come into use so I could see what he was wearing. It seemed like he was wearing all black; black jeans, black shoes, black shirt, and a black hoodie. To top it all off, he wore a dark gray beanie hat. His eyes were a solid, softly glowing golden color, and his mouth and strings seemed to be the same way. He seemed do be doing just fine for himself, he seemed quite strong, as if he didn't need any help.

 _Maybe we should just leave him alone for now. He doesn't seem to have any problems, nor is he creating any. We don't need to confront him._

 _Very well, let's continue on._

By the end of the week, I wanted to go home, feeling Slenderman take hold for a moment to teleport us back to our bedroom.

 _Sleeping with my soul within you?_

 _Too tired…_

I managed to hold his body's hand, creating a physical bridge. I fell into sleep's embrace, feeling his hand move during my sleep. The dreams I had were short bursts of bright color, continuing endlessly until I woke in the morning, still firmly in Slenderman's grasp. I smiled up at him, but saw his expression was one of disappointment. My smile faded, I knew what he was thinking about.

"Must we, my little dragon?"

"I know you don't want to battle with me. I understand that… but _you_ have to understand… it's part of me, we can't escape that."

"Perhaps we can wait one more day…"

"It's been two weeks since I brought it up, there's only about two weeks before August ends. It would be better to do it now."

"No. I refuse. I have changed my decision and will not fight you."

"For fuck's sake," I groaned, too sleepy to actually be very angry. "It's not a damn fight over our relationship. I just want an all-out battle between the two of us, just for the hell of it."

He sighed. "I know. You are correct." He kissed me, melting my heart. "We shall take today for preparations. Tomorrow, we battle."

I smiled, and hugged him. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, my love."

I skipped out of the room, a spring in my step. I heard telepathic laughter from Slenderman, knowing he was even remotely happy that he made me feel better. I went downstairs, seeing everyone there.

"Hey, Brina… you look pretty happy. You pregnant or something?"

I glared at Jeff, but everyone laughed. I rolled my eyes.

"No, I'm not. Slender promised me a battle tomorrow."

"A battle?"

"Well, it's really just between the two of us, but we're going to go all-out like if we were actually fighting a dangerous foe."

"Why?"

"Battle is _part_ of me! If you don't remember, when we all shared that cake and you attacked me that night, I might have seemed a little more… crazy than usual when I let go of myself. I fought all of you with at least a couple of cracked ribs after Helen pushed me away and I fell."

"Really? You fought like you weren't even injured."

"Exactly," I said, calming down a little. "Granted, the sugar from the cake was a little bit of an extra booster," I said, looking pointedly at Laughing Jack, who was giggling as always. "But anyway, you're all welcome to watch. It's tomorrow, as soon as the sun rises."

Everyone nodded. I sighed, and went outside, feeling my swords swing near my hips, wishing so badly to pull them out and swing them around. Eventually, I did, not practicing any techniques. I heard some footsteps behind me and turned to see, of all people, Ben. I paused in my "self-training" to find out what he had to say.

"Hey, Ben… what brings you out here?"

"Not much. Just… wanted to wish you good luck for tomorrow. Slendy's one hell of a fighter, but I think you know that."

I cracked a grin. "Yeah, he is. I won't be sleeping in the mansion tonight. Materialization can help me stay awake."

"Do you do that often?"

"Do what?"

"Like, not sleep. I know I'm a ghost so I don't need sleep, but you seem like you don't really need it either."

"Well, I might climb into a tree and take a nap before the fight, but other than that I usually do sleep at night. It's just habit now."

"Huh… okay well, good luck tomorrow. I'll be there to watch."

I nodded and he walked away. In all honesty, I was more excited than nervous about the battle tomorrow, knowing it would be brutal but mentally rewarding if I won. What if I did win? Would Slenderman think it was a fluke and we both just had messed up, or would he think himself weak?

I shook the thoughts from my head, knowing Slenderman knew his own strength. I saw the moon was slowly making its way toward the horizon — how time flew — and asked Darkness to wake me just before the sun rose. It agreed, and I climbed up into a tree and pushed myself into stasis, resting before the battle would commence. Darkness woke me, and I grew my wings and tail, hopping down from the tree and returning to the clearing, where there was no longer a tree for an open fighting area. I stretched out my muscles after a quick warm-up, eager to begin. I waited with my swords drawn at one end of the clearing, where the mansion was on my right, the doors open and everyone sitting on the steps, watching with bored expressions as I waited. I caught a few of their gazes and one of them waved. I waved back, earning more waves and ended up waving twice. Then, everyone looked up behind them. I saw Slenderman come out of the mansion, gliding over the ground with graceful steps. I watched as he stood opposite from me, his tentacles already swaying much like my tail was. I moved away from the trees a little, him doing the same. Slowly, carefully, I pushed my power up, taking on my second form in the same way as always. I twirled my swords and began walking forward, slowly stepping toward Slenderman. It seemed he had gone full fighting mode, finally accepting the fact that I wanted an all-out fight.

I began to run at him, and made sure to teleport behind him, running onto a tree trunk and slicing at his tentacles which seemed to know I was coming from behind. One caught my ankle, and I felt myself being swung through the air, my back hitting the ground multiple times before I could comprehend what was happening. I managed to slice the tentacle where it was holding me, and fell to the ground, my back hurting. I got up anyway, putting some distance between us while my back re-aligned and fixed itself. I couldn't fight with a broken spine, but I could still move, with plenty of pain to accompany me. Once my back healed and a good five minutes had gone by, I attacked him again, this time coming from the front. I managed to cut a gash his side, but two were opened on my side as well, equally deep but not as long as his wound. I saw black and purple blood staining the ground, the grass around us splattered with it. His shortened tentacles dripped his black blood as well. I flew in on my wings, dive-bombing him and bringing my sword down into his shoulder, digging deep. I had messed up because he took my momentarily halted flight into account and turned his wound into a sacrificial advantage, pulling me by my wing down to the ground, and using his tentacles to pin me. His horrible mouth gaped at me, the tongue slithering out and used as a fear-inciting technique.

It worked.

I scrambled to get away from him once his tentacles retreated, my senses on high-alert. His static and ringing began, and I saw his fingers sharpen into claws. He had been pulling his punches!? How powerful was he!? Determination filled me and I faced him as he teleported towards me. I launched myself at him, he didn't even try to teleport away. I clung to the front of his suit, seeing the tentacles coming around from his back to kill me, but I wasn't going down that soon. I plunged the end of my tail into where his heart would be, the black blood spraying out and coating the purple scales of my tail. Tentacles ripped open the membrane of my wings, ensuring no flight until I healed. I pushed my bronze sword through his stomach and pushed him away. Four large gashes ripped open across my chest as he swiped at me with his talons. The sword was ripped out and thrown to the ground. I saw him cough slightly, a small splatter of black blood flying from his mouth.

As if on cue, I began coughing violently, purple blood forcing itself out of my lungs. His bloodstained dress shoes approached me, but I wasn't done, I refused to be defeated yet. I staggered to my feet, him teleporting backwards. One eye was coated in purple, rendering me blind in my left eye. I looked up at him as his static blurred my remaining vision. Then, I felt an intrusion in my mind, and tried to push him away. I felt my hand moving on its own, without me telling it what to do. I blasted him in the chest with telekinesis, sending him backward, but he didn't go very far. Maybe a few meters, but it was enough. I used the tree behind me as a spring board and launched myself at him again, seeing him turn just in time as I made a final swing, and beheaded him. I landed on the ground next to his headless body, which soon disappeared, but a small trail of soul aura said it went to his office. Panting, I fell onto the ground, a small smile on my lips as I passed out.

I had won.

* * *

"Hey, wake up! You need to help Slender!"

I woke up to see Splendorman's unimpressed mask above me. I felt guilty immediately, and saw Slenderman next to me, his head connected to his neck and the rest of his body, but only barely, as healing seemed to take longer for the immortal dead of his kind. I crawled over and gently aligned his head correctly, then began healing him. The thin black line around his neck went away soon after he was fully healed, and looked back at his three brothers, unable to meet their gaze, looking more towards the bed instead.

"You're a real bitch, ya know that," Offenderman asked. "Killing our brother like that."

"He agreed to the fight," I said softly.

"Enderbrina," I heard Slenderman ask.

"I'm here, my love."

"You fought well," he said, sitting up. "I… am surprised you won."

"It was probably just a fluke," I said quietly.

"Perhaps." I felt his gaze move off me to his brothers behind us. "Leave us, please."

"Not until you tell us why the fuck you did that," Offender retorted.

"Enderbrina asked me to fight her, as fighting is in her nature. I agreed." The three of them disappeared, and I cried into his shoulder. He tensed before hugging me. "Why are you crying my dear?"

"Please don't leave me! I promise that's the one and only time we will fight all-out against each other, okay!?"

"Calm down, my dear," he said, chuckling. "I understand. I won't leave you, you are my greatest love."

I sniffed. "And you're m-mine…"

"Always, but perhaps soon, even more."

I became confused but nodded anyway.

"Now, instead of killing each other, let us go get a meal in the city. I remember where a delicious looking meal was living."

I nodded, and took his hand as he teleported us there, a scream prominently filling the household. I grinned, and attacked the human. Everything had worked out, even though only a few hours ago we had fought to the death. I didn't care if I had no way back to my original home, this was my new, permanent home now. Minecraft didn't matter much to me anymore. I was staying here.

Honestly, I couldn't care less about Minecraft anymore, but I would soon come to find that I really did care. I felt a blip of a familiar presence, and then it was gone. Something big was going to happen. I knew it would.

* * *

 ***Oooh, foreshadowing. Let's see now, there's a couple more chapters to this… and even a sequel but you'll see why soon enough. Follow, Favorite, Review, and I'll see you in chapter 14!***


	14. Chapter 14

***Well, here we go... second-to-last chapter. Not much for me to say... other than to enjoy the chapter!***

* * *

 _Mmm… blood._

 _An exquisite choice as always, my dear._

I smirked at Slenderman's voice in my head. We had become much more comfortable with flying over the past few days. We had just finished dinner and were wondering what to do next, grazing on the leftovers.

 _So, you're more comfortable with flying now?_

 _Of course, we do this quite often._

 _Would you like to try being in control?_

 _Perhaps another night._

 _Why? Would it feel strange to be me?_ He didn't respond, so I giggled. _I was only joking. So what should we do now?_

 _Let's return home. I know you are becoming tired._

I teleported us to our bedroom, laying down in bed once I was changed and had sent his soul back to him. His tentacles pulled me close, sleep placing darkness over my eyes. Dreams were never anything special to me, but knowing I had them would always confuse me because I could never remember anything except blurry ones. It was a blurry dream tonight, of Slenderman chasing me through the forest. Except, when I looked at my hands, they were human, so my mind became confused and made me stop running. It still ended with a horrific feeling of being pulled backward into the darkness. I woke to find it was morning, a bit startled that sort of dream had occurred.

"Good morning," a fully-dressed Slenderman said from the bedside. "You slept through breakfast."

"That's odd… I had a dream about you chasing me, hunting me. I was human in my dream…"

I glanced over at his featureless head, trying to read his blank face for emotion. He seemed to be deep in thought.

"That _is_ very strange."

"It was only a dream. It's nothing."

I got up and headed to the balcony, perching on the railing with my wings and tail grown. He had followed me, knowing exactly where I was going. A tentacle wound its way around my wrist firmly, but didn't cut off circulation.

"It's pretty up here."

"Indeed."

"Remember… I think around five days ago, we were talking about… how I can't have your child?"

I felt the tension in the air rise, knowing he was surprised I even brought up the topic. "I remember. What about it?"

"Well, I was thinking, since he's been so helpful so far, Zalgo might be able to… change me enough."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he has soul manipulation and I'm sure he's got other abilities I don't know about. What if he has the ability to modify my body enough so that I _can_ bear children of yours?"

"You don't have to."

"What if I want to?"

I heard him sigh. "Zalgo has never done something like that before, I doubt he will for you."

"He's a Creator, my love. He is far more powerful than both your power and mine put together."

"Very well," he said, the tentacle wrapping around my wrist a bit tighter. "We shall visit him."

Heat washed over me and I felt feverish. I realized we were in Hell, near Zalgo's throne. I could see him from where we were, but Slenderman slipped his hand into mine, retracting all his tentacles as we walked up to Zalgo. I bowed to him for a show of respect, but when I looked at his face I could tell he was confused. I bit my lip, it hadn't been very long since Slenderman and I had fell in love, but it had been long enough where I began wanting a child.

"Enderbrina, Slenderman. What brings you two here?"

"Well…"

"She wants you to change her so that she can bear a child of mine."

I nodded, looking at him, hoping he would say something. He simply hummed in thought, making me grip Slenderman's hand a little tighter. I was still terrified of this creature, whether or not his intentions were good.

"I believe I have already done so, with Nature's previous visit."

I was surprised, he had done that? He must have used the large flood of power to distract me. I looked up at Slenderman, who was remaining emotionless. I gulped and thanked Zalgo, feeling the heat gone in an instant as Slenderman brought us back to the surface. However, we had teleported to the living room, and I took my usual seat. I knew my cheeks were pale, but I decided to blame it on not enough metals if anyone asked. Thankfully, nobody asked anything, they seemed to not even know I was there.

"Hey, sweets," Laughing Jack cackled, "have some candy! It always cheers me up."

I smiled as he poured a few orange candies in my hand, he was giggling as usual. I thanked him and at the orange candy, watching the movie that was on. I actually did feel slightly better after eating the candy, but I was still nervous. Slenderman had left, to do what I had no idea. I could feel his presence moving around quickly, along with another that was on foot, running around in the forest. The other presence was quickly snuffed out, most likely by Slenderman.

Suddenly, a hoodie that looked strange was shoved in my face by a very stern-looking Trenderman. "Put this on, I'm tired of seeing you in that dreadful costume."

I raised an eyebrow at him, but shrugged and went down the hallway a bit, with him hot on my heels.

"I'm not your dress-up doll, Trender, I'm only doing this because I like the way this hoodie looks."

It wasn't the hoodie I liked, it was the effort he put into it, but I wore it just to please him. I kept my old hoodie in dematerialized storage, just so I wouldn't have to go searching for it later. I knew that Trenderman was a rich… guy, but he seemed to think I was a mannequin, which I honestly hated because he pestered me nearly constantly about my clothing choices, even when he had made the clothes himself!

* * *

I sighed when I noticed it was midnight. I teleported to our bedroom, surprised to see Slenderman was already there, reading a book. I felt his gaze shift to me, but he wasn't showing any emotion. I was nervous, but eventually he closed the book and sat more upright.

"Did you know, my dear?"

"Know about what?"

"About Zalgo changing you."

"No, I didn't. He distracted me with a rush of power, which I assumed was him freeing my Creator power, but its back to hibernating… why?"

"I would have thought you'd have told me if you knew."

"I would have, trust me."

His head tilted to the side, as if he was examining me. I felt self-conscious under his gaze. His mouth ripped open, but only his teeth were showing. Even so, his mouth didn't move as he spoke again.

"I would enjoy seeing you beneath me." Heat flared across my face, but I managed to glare at him. He only chuckled, melting my anger. "It does not have to be tonight, my dear. I was simply suggesting it now that we know Zalgo did, in fact, change you."

I bit my lip, thinking. Slenderman had turned his attention back to the book, and I sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at the Slender-bear. It made me smile to know it was still there, still mine. Even more so, it made me smile to know that Slenderman was my boyfriend. We had taken our relationship far, farther than I thought was possible. I was happy we did, but something told me I would be even happier very soon. I didn't know what could make me even more happy, but I couldn't stop smiling. A tentacle wrapped around my midsection, picking me up and pulling me over to his side. I sighed happily as I leaned against him.

"Not tired tonight?"

"No, I guess not. I could still enter stasis, though, if I wanted to rest."

"Don't enter stasis, I would like to sit here with you, even though it is night."

His tentacle never left me, but was coiled around my stomach twice now that I was sitting next to him. Countless minutes ticked away with us sitting together, him reading and myself daydreaming — during the night — about what may or may not be in the foreseeable future.

I jumped when I felt the tentacle retracting slowly, and turned my attention to Slenderman. He stopped momentarily to consider my expression, and soon put it back around me. I felt the tentacle around my midsection tense up as I placed my hand on it, feeling it. I was greatly curious about what they actually felt like. While the tentacle wasn't slimy nor transparent, it actually felt cool, like the rest of him. His cold didn't matter to me, I actually quite liked it.

"Are you enjoying that," he asked suddenly.

"Sorry, I know you aren't used to friendly or neutral interaction with your tentacles, but… I am enjoying it, yes."

I felt the tentacle tighten as it lifted me up again, and placed me in his lap, making me blush. I backed up, but he was laughing softly. I crossed my arms, now sitting to the side of his legs.

"I am sorry, my dear. I was only teasing."

"It's still too soon."

"I understand."

"Please don't be upset… I just don't feel comfortable enough yet, okay?"

"Of course. Perhaps we could do something together, to take your mind off the subject."

"What do you want to do, then?"

"Well, it is almost dawn. The forest is the darkest at this time. Perhaps there will be humans out there."

I smirked, knowing exactly what he meant. "That does sound like fun."

We teleported out to the forest, and I felt for presences in the trees. There were none yet, but I crept up to the edge of the trees where there would be civilization. I saw a group of humans with flashlights, and reached out to Slenderman telepathically. Once a firm connection was established, I described everything I saw.

"Aw, come on! You know that stuff isn't real!"

"Then why are you dragging us here if it isn't real?"

"What's life without a little risk?"

 _Seems they don't believe you're real. There's five of them. Two of them seem nervous… and they…_

 _What is it?_

 _They're looking right at me. They know someone is here. I already dimmed the glow of my eyes to nothing, too._

 _Perhaps they are Creepypastas._

 _I don't know, they look completely human. Perhaps they just have better senses, or a sort of sixth sense._

The group turned into the forest, and I grew my wings and tail, keeping en eye on them as I walked back to Slenderman. He was waiting in the same spot when I found him.

 _Should we wait to hunt them?_

 _Yes, wait until they are fully lost. We shall begin the hunt then._

I hugged him, waiting until they were simply strays in the woods. The wait proved fruitful, they had split up and were now utterly, hopelessly lost.

 _Let's go._

We also split up and headed into the trees. I had my platinum sword ready, Darkness not needing to silence my footsteps. I had my wings and tail grown, excited for the hunt. I came across a male first, one of the less aware ones. I purposefully made the leaves beneath my feet crunch, drawing his attention. He began walking up to me, thinking I was friendly.

"Oh, there you are! Where have you—"

His speech halted as soon as I let the glow of my eyes show. Still, it seemed he thought I was a friend.

"Enderbrina? What are you doing out here?"

I walked up to him, looking around to make it look like I wanted to say something quietly. When I got up close to him, I leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"I'm here, because I live in these woods now. You're trespassing," I said, and shoved the sword into his stomach, through him and out his back.

His scream pierced the rest of the woods, and I left him to bleed out, disappearing into the trees, only to climb up one and return to above him. Keeping my eyes from glowing was easy, so he didn't know I was there, watching as his four friends gathered around him. They cried and held him until he died, he didn't say anything, letting our hunt go on longer than anticipated. I purposefully dropped my bronze sword, startling the rest of them as I let my eyes glow again, cursing softly at the sword. It made them look up, noticing me right away.

"Oops. Sorry about that. I heard a scream from my rooftop and came to investigate. Looks like my arch nemesis got to him first."

I dropped down from the trees and picked up my bronze sword, sheathing it.

"Who's your arch nemesis?"

"Slenderman."

"He doesn't exist, though."

"How do explain that wound, then?" They all looked back at their dead friend, and I crossed my arms when they looked back at me. "He is very real. Let me help you get out of here, okay?"

"Please. We've been in here for who knows how long."

"I don't quite know my way around the woods, but I know a route to get you out, so follow me."

 _I'm heading to the clearing, killed one to bait the other four. Hope you're hungry._

 _I am, in fact, quite hungry._

"Hey, wait a minute."

I turned back to the four of them, seeing two boys hadn't moved.

"We tried to warn you, but Slenderman is already here. She's helping him, too," they said pointing at me. "Don't go with her. Haven't you heard of her killing thugs in the city?"

I put on my best bewildered facade, and placed my hands on my hips.

"Honestly, why would I help him? He kills without reason. I only kill if I absolutely must. The thugs were threatening me."

"Yeah, what are you two talking about? Come on, stop being babies and let her lead us out."

We neared the clearing and I threw my wings out, stopping them.

"He's close by," I warned quietly, looking back and forth.

He grabbed one of the more aware boys, taking him away and killing him. A dull thud was all I needed to hear to know he was done waiting. I turned around, growling, and lopped off the head of the two girls. The boy still alive had accepted death, and I grinned. I took his soul and began making him hit his head against the tree until he bled. It was satisfying to watch his eyes widen in fear. I stopped him just before he could knock himself out, forcing him to take deep breaths of air to keep him awake. I saw Slenderman step out from the trees, and look at the terrified human.

"Congratulations on surviving so long," he said. "How would you like to die?"

"You can talk… holy hell…"

I was amused by the human's surprise. They glanced at me, and I gave them their soul back.

"Go ahead, tell him how you'd like to die. We won't kill you or hurt you in the meantime."

I sat down by one of the bodies, and tore off the arm, biting into it. The human looked horrified, but then their gaze snapped back to Slenderman, and they nodded. I heard him say something, but his tentacles shot out, grabbing onto the human and teleporting him elsewhere. I was surprised, but kept eating the human anyway. Slenderman returned and sat down with me, tearing open the headless body. I noticed he plucked out the eyes first before tossing the head to me.

"You said you liked the brain."

"Yeah, you're not going to try it?"

"I could."

"It's kinda like a cross between a kiwi fruit and an apple. Well, that's how it tastes to me. I don't know how it'll taste to you."

"Hmm… well, enjoy."

"I will," I replied, and we dug in.

* * *

The moon was full once more. Three weeks had passed since our hunt, and more hunts had transpired. I was currently looking up at the moon, wondering what Slenderman was doing. His presence appeared behind me on the balcony, and I looked over to see him without his jacket, just his white button-up and a black tie. The moon's light reflected off him, giving him an almost ethereal look. Stunned, my voice escaped me for a few moments.

"Hey, there you are. I was wondering when you'd come up here."

"I never miss a full moon since the first night I showed you this place. I have come to appreciate its beauty more."

I smiled and stood up, leaning against him as I watched the moon slowly making its way across the sky.

"I love you," I said quietly. "I always will."

"I love you too, and I also will always love you, my dear." A pause. "It is incredible how three small words can mean so much, is it not?"

I laughed. "Yes, it is amazing. Although, thought conveys words better."

"Indeed."

Silence descended over us as I continued to stare up at the moon. It seemed larger tonight. I remembered living there, but it seemed so long ago. It was late August, with October coming up fast. Hallowe'en would be here soon, which meant presents.

"What would you like for Hallowe'en this year?"

I smiled. "You."

"You already have me, my dear." I looked up at him, making sure my smile was mischievous. When he saw my expression, he chuckled. "Ah, so that's what you meant. I will see what I can do. I am glad you are feeling better about that."

"I just feel like something isn't right between us when I shut you out. I'm really sorry about that."

"It is alright."

More silence. We waited to speak again only after the sun was up.

"Will you be joining us for breakfast?"

"Of course. Everyone's going to be excited that today is the last day of August. I need to listen in to everyone's thoughts so I can get them exactly what they want for a gift."

"What do you mean, listen?"

"Well, I don't have to make a connection with their mind like we do when we converse through thought."

"You know they all think of you as a sister."

"They do? That's nice… I do think of them as siblings, too, I suppose."

I helped him cook breakfast, following his instructions as he set the silverware out. Once ready and plated, I picked up all the plates with telekinesis and set everyone's plates before them.

"You cooking now, Brina?"

"Here and there. I don't have the gift like Slenderman does, so he instructs me in here," I said, pointing to my head, "and I follow the instructions."

"You know, that's freaky."

"What is?"

"How you can talk with your thoughts."

I took a bite of my breakfast. _Yeah, so? We're all "freaky" in some way here. Jeff, your cut smile. I agree that it looks good on you, but were it on anyone else, it wouldn't be as special. Ben, you can travel through… electronics, I believe?_

"Yeah. You have a point."

I shrugged and continued to eat my breakfast, gently peeking into everyone's minds to see what they wanted for a gift on Hallowe'en morning. Surprised by the variety of items they wanted, I cautiously wrote down the list without letting anyone see what was on it. After stuffing the list in my pocket, I waited for everyone to finish breakfast while quietly conversing with Slenderman.

 _Where are all your brothers?_

 _They left a few days ago, back to their own homes. They were greatly troubled by our faux fight._

 _Aw, I really liked Splendor. He was fun._

 _What about my other brothers?_

 _They uh… kinda got on my nerves. I had a feeling neither of them actually liked me either. Trender treated me like a mannequin most of time, or like a living dress-up doll._

 _That's to be expected. Splendor gets along with everyone though. He is the eldest of us._

Everyone had finished breakfast and I took the plates and silverware to the kitchen with me, making sure to use telekinesis to wash the dishes. Before long, everything was clean and returned to where it belonged. I looked at the list of items, knowing what everyone else was going to get for another Creepypasta was helpful; I could get someone the item they really wanted. Ben wanted the newest console that was going to be released in a few days, Laughing Jack wanted a new hammer and nails, Jeff wanted… a knife sharpener, which was oddly practical, but I shrugged and kept reading. Eyeless Jack wanted a new set of tools, for the "surgeries" he did, of course. I knew it wouldn't matter if they were bloody or not, but I decided I might get him a brand-new set. Jane wanted a target of a human for target practice, which made me smirk. Sally wanted a Mrs. T for her Mr. T, and Bloody Painter wanted some new canvases. The Rake wanted something simple: more pillows for his room.

It seemed everyone already was getting something for someone else, except Bloody Painter wouldn't be getting anything. I promised myself I would get him fifty canvases, some different sizes other than his standard size. I was brought out of my thoughts by Jeff calling my name. I looked up at him.

"What do you want for your Hallowe'en present?"

"I wanted to go hunting with Slenderman. Why?"

"That's it? You do that all the time."

"So? It's still fun."

Everyone seemed unconvinced, but I decided to head out and begin gathering canvases for Bloody Painter. I got at least ten of the standard size he used, then gathered different sized ones, disguised as a human, of course. I paid the fair amount for them, then visited King Fate in his underground market.

"Hey, King."

"Enderbrina!"

"Just call me Brina. So, how've you been?"

"I've been well… I sold those rings you brought me for more than what I paid you."

I smirked. "Yeah, well, if you knew me better, you'd be rich."

"And a wanted criminal. Don't think I didn't hear news of you murdering people."

I gave him my best crazed stare. "Oh, I don't _just_ murder them. Once they're dead, I eat the flesh."

His eyes went wide with fear, but I laughed.

"Wait, you were kidding!? What the hell?"

"No, King, I wasn't kidding," I said, sobering up. "I guess its just part of who I am now, its almost like smoking for you humans. Except my lungs aren't destroyed by it."

"It's addictive," he asked, shuddering.

I nodded. "But enough of that. Have you got anything of value still? I wanted to see if there would be anything here an eight-year old would like."

He spread out everything he had, and strangely enough, there was a pink bear among the items. A pink, stuffed bear. I picked it up, and looked at King Fate.

"How much is this?"

"I just found it on the side of the road one day. You can have it for free."

"Would a kilogram of gold work?"

"I said free…"

I materialized a one-kilogram bar of gold onto the counter and left, restoring the bear before dematerializing it and returning to Slenderman's mansion. Everyone looked at me suspiciously, but I sat down on the sofa after growing my wings and tail, having had to will them away to use my human disguise properly. I saw a horror movie was on, noting Sally wasn't in the room. I grinned.

"Who wants to see what I got for Sally?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I got her a Mrs. T."

"She— wait a second."

"What? I thought a Mrs. T would go well with her Mr. T bear."

"Show us."

I materialized the pink bear, it had a heart for a nose and stitched-in eyes, its arms out wide to give a hug. It was all pink and red except for the eyes, which were the usual whites and black pupils. Dematerializing it, I went back to watching the movie. It was going to be a long four weeks, but I knew I could wait it out. Just like I had to wait for my unique ability; even though Red had sped up the process. Four weeks would pass eventually. The days seemed to crawl by. I decided one day to put a large mirror frame in the hallway, against the wall which was blank, and wait for the first person to walk by. I wanted to try to pull off the mirror prank I had seen in so many shows. It seemed like it would be Eyeless Jack, so I materialized a mask just like his, put it on, and shapeshifted to look exactly like he did, enough so he'd be fooled. When he walked by, I mimicked his motions, and he backed up, looking at his "reflection".

"When did we get a mirror, and why did we put it here?"

He shrugged and kept walking. I pouted, then realized what I could do to the others. I walked back to the living room and plopped down in his spot, knowing he would only be gone a short amount of time. I had gotten rid if the mirror frame, and hoped he wouldn't notice. It did feel strange to have tar dripping down from seemingly empty eye sockets, but I wanted this to look real. Everyone looked at me, bewildered.

"Hey, EJ, didn't you say you were going to go get a snack?"

Making sure my voice would sound like his, I replied. "Yeah. I decided I didn't want one after I was halfway to my room, so I came back."

Nobody questioned me after that, and I smiled under the mask when I saw the real Eyeless Jack coming back down the hallway. I saw him stop in his tracks when he saw me, and he growled at me. I growled back, fighting hard to contain my laughter.

"Who the hell are you," he asked.

"Who do you think I am," I said, pulling off the mask. "It's quite obvious, don't you think?"

"You aren't me!"

"You're right."

I dematerialized the mask and grew my wings and tail, smirking at him as I changed back to myself.

"Hol-ee shit, Brina! That was weird."

"Thank you." I sat down in my seat. "I have to admit, having no eyes felt weird, especially with the black tar stuff."

"You can imagine how I felt when I first woke up like this."

"Yes, I suppose I understand to an extent."

"So how many days away is Hallowe'en?"

"It's still three weeks away."

Everyone groaned. I was disappointed as well, it had only been one week since I had gotten the presents.

"I didn't wrap anything yet," I said quietly. "I've got the gifts I wanted to give."

"Who did you get presents for?"

"I'm not telling you, but I will tell you that I got presents for three people."

"Right, you're going hunting with Slender. You know tons of humans are gonna come to the woods on that night, right?"

"I know. It'll be easy to snag one without anyone knowing."

"True, but most of them will realize the woods aren't safe."

"The woods are never safe, anyway. Besides, that will just bring more people flooding in, but Slenderman can always change the dimension we're in."

"That I can. How is everyone holding up?"

"Woah, Slendy, how long have you been there," Jeff asked.

"A few seconds. I was interested in the sort of conversation you might be having with Enderbrina. It seems mildly interesting."

"Yeah, sounds like she got you a super lame present."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I already told you, remember? We were going to go hunting together," I said, tilting my head back to look up at him from my seat on the sofa.

"Of course I remember. A full-on massacre, I believe you wanted."

"There would be nothing better."

It was true, I wanted to lay waste to an other Earth in an other dimension while everyone else stayed in the dimension we were currently in and got candy. As Hallowe'en drew nearer, something felt off about the air around us. Nobody else but Slenderman seemed to sense it. I had a feeling Nature's visit wasn't Fate's big plan. I felt as if Nature visiting was only a precursor to the plan Fate had likely already set in motion. Finally, the day before Hallowe'en everyone kept giving me knowing smiles. I was purely confused, and it seemed like Slenderman was gone for the day. What could possibly be going on?

"So, Brina, you going anywhere today?"

"I wasn't thinking I would. Why?"

"I thought you and Slendy were going to go hunting for Hallowe'en."

"Yeah…"

"Which city are you going to?"

"Actually, once all of you leave, he was going to bring me to another dimension and we would destroy the closest city there."

"You're bloodthirsty, aren't you?"

"I haven't been out in a while to kill, so I figured Hallowe'en would be the best time. Most the humans will be out of their houses trying to get candy, so I could easily grab a few without anyone noticing until too late."

"Cool. Anyone up for video games," Ben asked.

I immediately jumped up and teleported to Ben's room, hearing laughter from outside. I grew my wings and tail, stretching them as I waited. I smiled as Jeff, Eyeless Jack, and Ben came through the doorway. I cracked my knuckles as Ben flopped down in his usual spot, and I took one of the bean bag chairs. I leaned back and picked up my favorite controller, seeing all the Creepypastas had been added as characters to the game. I grinned, knowing Ben had done this.

"So, you boys ready to be beaten?"

"What are you talking about?"

I flashed Eyeless Jack a smile. "Don't tell me you didn't hear about me beating these other two with three wins to one."

"They didn't tell me."

"Ah, well, it doesn't really matter."

"Well, Brina, since you're so good, we're going to make it harder for you to win every time you _do_ win."

"Sounds good to me."

I could tell everyone was eager to begin, but I leaned back as Ben set up everything. The huge screens looked amazing, more than I originally realized. The image was crystal-clear, and with surround sound, I could actually immerse myself in the game and focus. It began to get difficult to not die from a single hit from anyone else. Finally, I lost from getting hit once. I groaned softly.

"Damn. Didn't realize it would get that difficult. You guys feeling good about yourselves yet?"

"Yeah, doing alright for now."

More rounds ensued, and it seemed every other game I won, as I would die in a single hit from my health going down again. Laughing Jack soon joined us, his laughter making his moves jittery. He was another foe that proved to be difficult to defeat. Finally, I won. My heart hammered in my chest from the excitement. I tried to keep my tail still, nearly hitting Jeff a few times. I scooted away from him a little, but I couldn't sit still anymore.

"I gotta go… have fun without me!"

I teleported outside and materialized Gran, more excited than before to spar with him. I fought to the very best of my ability, tiring myself out quickly.

"Enderbrina? What are you doing out here?"

I looked up to see Slenderman approaching me.

"Played video games with Ben, Jeff, LJ and EJ, and I ended up getting excited for an actual fight. So I came out here and sparred with Gran."

"Hmm… well, come with me to the mansion. I have something you need to see."

"Oh… okay?"

I dematerialized Gran and made my way to the mansion. I looked around once I walked in the doors, seeing everyone was there, all with the same knowing smiles they had been giving me all day. Jane looked especially excited. I looked over to Slenderman, standing at his natural height of two and a half meters tall, holding something in such a way so I specifically couldn't see it.

"Uh… what's going on?"

* * *

 ***Woo! Cliffhanger! Can you guess what's gonna happen? Can you? Don't worry, you'll know in the next chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to Follow, Favorite, and Review!***


	15. Chapter 15

***Alright, time to finish up this story! I couldn't wait to post this! Also, remember… this is the Creepypasta/Slenderman universe, these monsters don't exactly know how human customs work. So, enjoy the last chapter!***

* * *

Everything was quiet for a few moments as I looked around, confused. A grandfather clock chimed, it was nighttime. However, it was midnight. As the twelfth chime sounded, Slenderman took a step toward me, drawing my attention to him once more.

"I believe it is officially Hallowe'en now."

"Uhm… yeah…"

"Then I would like to ask you a question, Enderbrina."

"Okay?"

He extended his hand, opening it, revealing an open black box with the most beautiful diamond ring within. I could see the faintest pink tinge to his cheeks as he said, "Will you be my wife?"

Shock. My jaw dropped and I knew my eyes went wide, but I froze up. I did my best to broadcast "yes" through thought. He must have heard it, because when I snapped back to reality, I was hugging him. Tears rolled down my face and I managed not to break down too much as his cheeks had gotten just a touch more pink.

"I… I'm sorry I froze up there… it was so unexpected."

"We were afraid you weren't going to answer," Jane said. "Then we heard you repeating yes in your thoughts and were relieved."

"I was just so… shocked…" I laughed.

"Well, we will be off. Enderbrina and I have a massacre to create."

"So soon? It's only like, five past twelve in the morning."

"I plan to pick off humans throughout the day."

With that, the air shifted and we were alone, in his mansion in another dimension. I looked up at him, my cheeks probably paling. The first thing we did was watch a horror movie together, his tentacles keeping me close. I knew once the movie was over, however, just what was going to happen.

"You _are_ ready for this, aren't you, my dear?"

"As ready as I will ever be… I really do want to have our child…"

"We could always find a human to adopt, and I could turn them into a Creepypasta."

"No, that wouldn't be a good idea… plus, even if I die during the birth of the child, I'll come back. Everything will be fine."

He gave a thoughtful hum. "I brought the mansion along with us for the day."

"Wait, the others don't have the mansion for shelter!?"

"No, why—"

"They need shelter so they can disappear if they get caught somehow!"

He seemed to be surprised by my concern, and I felt the air shift as I saw everyone outside, talking, shivering as the cold October air blew around them.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Slender…"

"I had him bring the mansion back," I quickly explained. "Now come on, it's cold out there, and I need to give you guys your presents before Slender and I go hunting."

Everyone came back into the mansion, looking at me expectantly. I materialized a large, spooky-wrapped stack of canvases at Bloody Painter's feet, but it looked like a large box the way I had wrapped it.

"What's this? A box?"

"Open it and find out."

He tore away the wrapping paper, I could see his eyes glittering with excitement behind his mask. I smiled, my tail gently thumping against the sofa seat.

"Canvases! How did you know I needed more?"

"Telepathy."

"Cheater."

I shrugged. "I wanted to get you and Sally something you actually wanted."

"She didn't want canvases, though…"

"I know."

I turned to Sally, she looked up at me, confused. I materialized the pink bear with a red heart nose and stitched eyes. She squealed and grabbed it from the air, jumping around with both bears now in her arms.

"Thank you! Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you!"

"You're welcome Sally. I knew you wanted a Mrs. T for your Mr. T so he wouldn't get lonely if you had to leave him in your room."

She nodded vigorously and ran off to play in her room. She seemed to have forgotten there were other presents for her, making everyone laugh, myself giggling sheepishly. Everyone else exchanged their gifts, and while they were busy, Slenderman teleported me up to our bedroom. I looked around to see soundproofing, smiling as his tentacles moved up beside me, curling at the ends.

* * *

 **Warning Somewhat Explicit Content**

* * *

In just a few seconds, he had pulled me into the bed with my wings splayed out behind me, already busy kissing me. He left a trail of kisses down my jaw and neck, and I felt his breath brush my collarbone. I peeked open my eyes to see his featureless expression heavily laced with love. I smiled and did my best to shrug off my hoodie, my body heating up from our close proximity. Always a gentlemonster, he helped me and pulled off my shirt too. I felt him unclasp my bra, and watched him remove his jacket and white button-up, followed by his tie. He discarded them like they were nothing.

Gingerly, I reached up and traced a few of his muscles with my fingers as two black appendages slithered over me, pulling my jeans and panties away. He kissed me again, distracting me once more. I felt his hand glide downward, over my stomach and between my legs to expertly stroke a sensitive part of me. I breathed heavily, my tail becoming dangerous. As I was about to tuck it beneath my leg, I felt a tentacle wrap around the end of my tail and hold it down. Again, he kissed me, his tongue slithering forward, a faintly sweet taste greeting me. I was crestfallen when he pulled away, but my heart was racing, and beat even faster as he spoke softly, huskily, removing his hand from between my legs.

"Are you ready, my dear?"

"Yes… I'm ready…"

* * *

 **Somewhat Explicit Content End**

* * *

I woke but kept my eyes closed. The cold form beside me told me that it wasn't a dream, and a smile spread across my lips. Four tentacles kept me close to Slenderman. I felt them press against my back, pulling me against him. I was glad. I was more than glad, I was the happiest I had ever been in my life.

"Slender…"

"Oh, so you are awake." He sounded tired, and placed his hand against my cheek. "How are you feeling?"

I took a moment to think about how I would answer. "I know I'm happier than I've ever been, but other than that… I'm not quite sure. Nervous, I suppose, and tired."

He chuckled and brushed a lock of hair out of my face. "I believe all women feel nervous when they are going to have their first child, my dear. We are lucky, though. We do not have to fear either of us dying."

I nodded, scooting closer so I was pressed against him. I wanted to stay close to him for a little longer.

"You make me happy in ways words can't describe, Slenderman, and… I'm so… happy that you're mine, that you're my husband."

"I am glad you feel so strongly, because I believe my long-dead heart has begun beating again with you as my wife."

His tentacles pulled me so we were face-to-face. I smiled, kissing and hugging him. I was going to have his child. It was going to be our child.

I was startled when he sat up, pulling me with him, our lips not parting. His hand slowly combed through my hair, which was frizzy and tangled from our lovemaking. I winced when he encountered a knot, but he was quick to take my brush from the nightstand and break off our kiss, turning me around and brushing my hair for me. I pulled the covers up over myself, seeing the room darken as Darkness formed a humanoid. It seemed startled as it saw us, I noticed Slenderman kept brushing my hair as if nothing had happened.

 _I… I see you are… busy…_

"I need a favor from you, Darkness," he said, not missing a beat.

 _Oh. What is it?_

"Bind our souls," I said, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "Should we ever become separated, we can find the other."

I heard him chuckle, both of us wincing at the same time. Within moments, I felt physically connected to him, and smiled at Darkness.

"I believe that's all we needed you for."

The room promptly became lighter, and I laughed right along with him. I could feel that he had stopped brushing my hair, and turned to look at him.

"Is it normal for those of your kind to have curly hair?"

"Yes, but you'd likely never see another with naturally curly hair. I'm one of the few who loves their hair just the way it is, as troublesome as it might be."

"I believe we have spent enough of the day like this," he said, cupping my cheek. "Go on and get dressed, I will do the same."

I smiled as he teleported behind the closed doors of his closet, mimicking him and going into in my own closet, without teleporting. I looked at myself in the mirror, knowing in just a short time, I would look very different. A slight worry crossed my mind. How long would it take? I tried not to think too much about it, everything would be fine. I quickly got dressed, and stepped out of my closet, carrying my hoodie, knowing Slenderman would be done before me. I began pulling on my hoodie as I stepped out, seeing he was waiting for me.

"Ah, there you are. What is wrong, my dear? You seem worried."

"I'm worried about how long it will take for me to deliver our child. After all, I'm not completely one of my own kind, I'm somewhat between a human and an enderwoman."

"How long does it take for your kind to deliver a child?"

"About nine months."

"It is the same for a human. I believe you will be just fine."

"Oh, good…"

"However, we should be careful. No teleporting."

"I think I can handle that."

I stretched my wings and tail, knowing I would be missing my flexibility in only about four months. Folding my wings, I walked down the steps, everyone glancing up, then dismissing my arrival.

"Hey, everyone."

"You were gone quite a while. How'd the hunt go?"

"Shorter than we would have liked, but it was still a lot of fun."

"Any kills that were different?"

"Nah. Hey, can we watch a comedic horror?"

"Oh, sure."

Soon, we were all laughing at the ridiculous "horror" scenes.

* * *

I didn't feel very different as the week progressed, nor did I feel any different the second week, and still, no change by the second month. I wondered where all the symptoms were. It had already been two months, and I wasn't having any odd cravings. I began to worry, absentmindedly brushing a hand over my stomach. I pressed just a bit, and didn't feel anything. I reached out to Slenderman.

 _Yes, my dear?_

 _Could you… meet me on the balcony? I'm having a bad feeling._

 _Of course._

I cut the connection and made my way to the balcony, still not teleporting. I had not teleported once since the day we had tried. I felt his presence appear next to me, and noticed there was a new addition to the balcony. I sat down on the bench, looking up at him. He seemed to have just come back from a kill; his mouth was sealed but there was a thin red line across his face.

"Is something wrong?"

I nodded as I reached for his hand and had him sit next to me, taking the other and gently putting it against my stomach. I felt him press ever so lightly, and watched his blank face, waiting.

"It… it isn't there. It's been two months already, and… nothing…"

I looked down, closing my eyes and crying. I felt the hand leave my abdomen and lift my chin, then soft lips press against mine for a brief moment.

"You have nothing to fear, I still love you, no matter what happens. Fate has plans, I am sure It will allow you to bear a child of ours one day."

"That's what worries me. What if it is mine, but you aren't the father?"

"You can always reach me through telepathy, no matter the circumstances. I will be able to find you should you need my help."

I nodded, and leaned into him, hugging him.

"I do believe this means we can go have our massacre."

I sighed. "Maybe later…"

I felt him teleport us to our bedroom, and he laid me in the bed, pulling up the covers over me.

"Rest, my dear. I have noticed you haven't been sleeping."

I sighed, and settled down, nodding as I closed my eyes.

* * *

"What!? You can't be serious!"

"I would never lie about something so serious, she's obviously upset about something. Didn't you see her hand stray to her stomach that day? She hasn't been teleporting either. There's _something_ going on."

"I guess Slendy's gone soft if he's so upset," I heard from outside the doors of the bedroom. "Honestly, I never thought I'd see the day. But a kid?"

It sounded like Jeff and Eyeless Jack. What were they doing here? I looked at the clock, realizing it had only been a few hours I had been napping; it would be nighttime now. Frowning, I tried pressing my hand to my stomach again. Nothing, soft as ever. I stood up from the bed and moved closer to the door.

"Well, you know they love each other. Kinda weird for Slendy to not worry, but… does he even want to be a father?"

I bit my lip, he had seemed to want a child, and they were doubting him? It made my anger boil, but I felt his presence appear near them, halting their conversation. I could nearly see the smug look he held. I backed up as the door opened and he stepped in after dismissing them.

"Hi…"

"Hello, Enderbrina. I hope you slept well."

"It was only a few hours, but I feel quite relieved, knowing you were actually worried for me."

"You were asleep for two days, actually."

I felt my face heat up. "O-oh…"

"I am quite glad you are awake, now."

He took my hand, and teleported us to the balcony. The moon shone in its brilliance. I smiled as he sat with me on the bench.

"I was gone while you were asleep."

"Where'd you go?"

"I went to speak with Fate. It said… that we will never be able to have a child."

I saw silver coating my vision, knowing I was beginning to cry. "That… that's not… it can't be true…"

"Regrettably, it is… however, Fate may one day change the plan It has. It told me that if It decides we are to have a child, It will tell me."

I leaned against him, crying silently. Soundless sobs wracked my body. I felt his grip on the back my shirt tighten. I looked up at him, fearful, and saw he had gone completely into his mindless killing mode. I drew away, his grip loosening enough to let me move away some, but soon enough, I was only keeping contact through his hand. He was livid, because of what Fate had said, no doubt. I considered letting go of his hand, but at the thought it tightened around my hand, and I knew he wasn't letting go. His tentacles were waving erratically behind him, and his other hand gently covered my eyes. We teleported, and when he took his hand away, he was standing, so I did too. I looked around, everything was dark. It was as if the entire mansion had been coated thinly in black paint. We were in another dimension, I knew that for sure. Which one, however, I did not know. Slenderman, still holding my hand, pulled me along, we were headed toward the living room. He only let go once we were there, but kept his arm around my shoulders, obviously being careful of his claw-like fingers.

 ** _"_** ** _So,_** **you came back. What is it this time?"**

"I have brought someone with me."

 **"** **Is that so? Well, who—** "

The chair the strange multitude of voices was coming from turned around, revealing… myself? No, it wasn't me. So I asked the me lookalike who they were, quite bluntly.

 **"** **I am Fate. You see yourself because no mind can understand me, no matter how advanced the mind may be."**

I nodded, now knowing it was Fate in the armchair.

 **"** **So you brought your wife.** ** _Wonderful._** **Why?"**

"I was created a monster, and she was created the same. She… has shown me a different side of myself. She deserves at least some sort of reward, does she not!?"

I was surprised at Slenderman's anger. I looked back at Fate.

 **"** **I believe she has already received plentiful gifts. The honor of being your wife, you have made love to her already. If I were to allow it, you would be able to have a child together."**

"Then why can't we," I asked. "I love him, and he loves me."

Fate stared me in the eyes for a moment. Finally, It replied. **"Does he, though?"**

"Yes! He does! He wouldn't want a child from me for any other reason!"

Fate smiled deviously. **"Alright, alright. Yes, he does love you with his revived heart. I thought I killed that the first time he killed. Apparently, it survived, barely."**

"For good reason," I said, crossing my arms. "So I could make it beat with love again. He has found love, does _he_ not deserve a reward for that!?"

 **"** **Now now, Enderbrina, don't get too excited. You cannot overpower me."**

I tilted my head. "I can't?"

 **"** **No, only a Creator can, and Zalgo doesn't stand a chance against me."**

"Are you sure?"

 **"** **Of course I'm sure,"** Fate laughed. **"I know what you're thinking, it won't work. Your Creator side is far less powerful than Zalgo."**

I frowned. "That's not what I was thinking."

It was Fate's turn to be confused. Zalgo appeared next to us, and looked over, surprised to see us here. Fate had likely called him. I could tell at this point Slenderman was concerned. I took his hand, pulling all his attention to me.

"I know what I'm doing. Trust me. Remember, no matter what, you're mine."

I saw his mouth seal, and his tentacles retracted somewhat. I knew his anger had mellowed some. I saw Fate was surprised to see Zalgo's power had risen. I looked up at the demonic being, and telepathically told him what I needed him to do for me.

"That will kill you."

"You can give it back after."

Zalgo glanced at Fate, then looked back at me.

"Go ahead, then."

I nodded, pushing my power the highest it could go, never taking my eyes off Fate. Once I had taken on my second form, I broke down the wall inside me, turning into a Creator. Fate seemed confused, until Zalgo's palm laid on my head and my power was drained in an instant. All of it was gone. The last thing I saw before passing out was Fate's fearful and surprised face. I felt someone catch me, and assumed it was Slenderman before I let death take me.

* * *

I felt power trickling into me before my eyes forced themselves open. Everything was still dark, I thought that something was wrong until I saw Slenderman's head looking down at me.

"My dear…"

 _I don't trust my voice… I don't know how long I was dead for._

"A year."

I breathed out through my nose. _How is everyone back home?_

"You are home. I kept the lights off in our bedroom while you slept, so waking would not be painful to your eyes."

 _Hmm… and what did Zalgo do?_

"He became what Fate was, Fate is no more."

 _Are… are we allowed to have offspring?_

"Zalgo has happily admitted it, but he never promised anything about it living for long."

I frowned. _He knows why Fate was keeping us from being able to have offspring. Did he say anything about that?_

"Not much. Besides the fact it will be dangerous, it may very well kill itself."

 _That is understandable. You have mind control, however. If necessary, you_ will _use it on our child._

He chuckled fondly. "Well, Zalgo, I believe she is better now."

The slow power trickle stopped, and I turned my head to see Zalgo standing at my bedside, his hand on my shoulder.

"All your power is returned. I wish you both the best."

With that, a plume of harmless flame went up and Zalgo was gone. I looked back at Slenderman, a wolfish smile formed by his ripped open mouth. I smiled back and sat up, drinking a glass of mercury, feeling infinitely better. I leaned into his grasp, feeling comforted more than ever by it.

"So," he purred in my ear, his voice husky, "shall we, my dear?"

I giggled. "Yes, please."

* * *

"Just a bit more, my love," he encouraged, holding my hand even as my grip was bone-crushing.

He was in his human disguise, something I hadn't seen before. I had a hard time focusing on keeping my own, what with… well, all the pain of giving birth. I was still in pain, but soft wailing soon filled the room as it finally came into the world. I wanted to hold my baby. It was mine, all mine.

"It is our child, my love," he whispered in my ear, as if he had been reading my mind. "Calm down, they must give it some of the customary human medicines first."

The bundle of swaddling cloth was handed to me only minutes later, a nurse congratulating me on a healthy baby girl. I looked down at her to see she had a face, but in all the rush, the nurses had not noticed her glowing white eyes.

"What should we name her," I wondered.

"Gaia."

"Perfect."

* * *

I was back to my usual self in no time, knowing when Gaia was hungry, and having heightened senses helped with knowing when she needed to be changed. I woke in the middle of the night and reached the crib just before she started crying. I picked her up, thinking about her name. It meant daughter of chaos, but she was anything but chaos so far. We had named her somewhat after Zalgo, as he was now in Fate's position. I silently thanked him for Gaia, knowing he would hear my thanks. Gaia stared up at me, her skin the same as her father's, but her facial features the same as my own. Purple lips, a simple but nearly gone nose, and white, glowing eyes. I smiled at her, she was beautiful.

"If only parenting was this predictable for humans. Their children would make much better meals."

I giggled softly, seeing Slenderman sit up in our bed. I tickled Gaia's chubby belly, a shrill giggle filling the air. She yawned, growing tired in my arms again, and was soon asleep. Slenderman pulled me back into bed, kissing me and holding me close, until we both fell asleep.

* * *

I felt movement during the night, noting Slenderman was just holding Gaia for me. I turned over to face him, seeing his blank face lit up softly by the glow of her eyes. I smiled, but then grew concerned. Her skin had turned a shade darker. I realized it was probably just the fact of my heritage, and sighed, watching as he cradled her, her tiny hand grasping his thin index finger tightly.

 _She is beautiful, almost as much as you._

 _Oh, stop. You really need to work on being terrifying or that bear really_ is _going to be the new you,_ I warned playfully. I paused before continuing. _Her skin is changing color, I've noticed._

 _So she may be a faceless one of your kind. That could be… confusing._

I laughed in our shared thought space. _I am sure it will be fine. She is a good baby so far._

He looked back down at her. _It is still difficult to believe she came from our love… I am still in shock._

I smiled again, laying down and going back to sleep. I felt him join me soon after, and we all slept peacefully throughout the rest of the night.

* * *

"Mommy! Daddy!"

I slowly opened my eyes, seeing the blank face of Slenderman crinkled in slight annoyance. I smiled and used materialization to get dressed, a little four-and-a-half-year old Gaia bouncing around in the hallway. She looked up at me. She was one of my kind with white eyes, missing a visible nose and mouth. She smiled her white smile up at me, and she threw her arms around me as I bent down to hug her.

"Mommy! I grew Daddy's tentacles!"

"You grew tentacles, my little Gaia!? That's wonderful!"

"I did, I did! Look!"

Sure enough, a few black tentacles sprouted from her back and she twirled around, dancing happily.

"Slender, come on. Your daughter needs your attention."

He stumbled out of the room, instantly awake as he saw the tentacles our daughter grew. He swept her up in his arms and told her how proud he was of her. She looked at me from the height of her father's arms.

"Mommy… I'm hungry."

"Alright, we'll have breakfast in a little bit. What would you like today?"

"Eggs, and bacon!"

"Alright. Let's go wait in the living room while Daddy cooks it, okay?"

"I wanna see Sally!"

"I'm sure she'll be there. Come on, let's go."

She bounded along beside me as we walked to the living room, and we sat down. She played with Sally, and I talked with everyone else. They were surprisingly happy about having Gaia around, she seemed to make everyone like her, no matter what antics she got into. Most of the time, it was harmless little pranks, which I playfully scolded her about, but never punished her for them.

All was right in the world, but something felt off. I felt something familiar, oddly familiar, in the clearing. Ignoring it, we went and had breakfast, returning to the living room afterward. I stopped by the mansion doors, looking at them, mid-step even as Gaia and Sally continued past me. _That presence…_ I shook it off, returning to the living room once more. I felt the presence get stronger, and became irritated as I tried to ignore it. Slenderman tried to calm me down, and it worked for a while. About an hour had passed and I just couldn't take it anymore. I got up and marched over to the front doors of the mansion. I pulled them open and stomped outside, but stopped when I saw someone _too_ familiar. So the presence I had been feeling… this was who it belonged to?

His leather jacket's collar flapped in the light breeze that blew; his jeans and gray mining boots remaining unaffected. His darkly tanned skin and defined muscles, his cyan sword that hung at his side. His back was currently to me, but his head jerked up, his wild mop of brown hair moving with him. He turned, his white, glowing eyes meeting mine as a smile lit up his face, the color of his shirt matching his sword. I was utterly shocked. There, standing in front of me, was someone I thought I would never see again.

My brother, Herobrine.

* * *

 ***Gasp! I feel so bad, a cliffhanger on the final chapter of this story! After the cliffhanger on the last chapter of The End's Fighter, too! Well, I guess you know what this means. A sequel! That's right, I wanted to make a trilogy. I had originally wanted this to be just its own story, but then when I began the rewrite of The End's Fighter, I just had to do it. I'm sooo sorry for being such an evil author! But I'll post the first chapter as soon as I post this one! In the meantime, Favorite, Review, and check out my bio! See you in the sequel, named One Last Visit!***


End file.
